


Hidden Behind The Mask (Leonardo X Reader)

by rosequartzwriting



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 56,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23180764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosequartzwriting/pseuds/rosequartzwriting
Summary: Being a teenage kunoich, (Y/N) (L/N) escapes her fears at home by going out into the dark New York night. Out in the shadows, she practices her skills that have given her purpose. Soon she is known by those who lurk in the night, and Shredder wants her gone. After meeting the turtles, she becomes their best friend and secret weapon. She and Leonardo become thick as thieves, but things don't stop there. She needs to learn how to balance struggle, love, and trying to stay out of trouble.Originally posted on Quotev @  https://www.quotev.com/story/7842384/Hidden-Behind-The-Mask-Leonardo-X-Reader/1
Relationships: Leonardo (TMNT) & Reader, Leonardo (TMNT)/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Swift In The Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT!  
> This story was started in 2016, when my writing skill was just starting. A majority of this story is trash writing and cringe from when I was just learning how to write. I am a much better writer and storyteller now, and you can see my progress as the chapters go on. I will not be editing or changing anything, because this is a loved story on my Quotev page. Regardless of how bad this may be, it is where my journey started. Hope you enjoy <3

~The Turtles P.O.V~

Leonardo quietly glanced past the corner of the wall. His blue eyes began scanning the street, the road being illuminated by the gorgeous moonlight. No one was passing by, the only sound was that of a stray newspaper blowing in the wind. The blue masked turtle lifted his hand and made a signal, telling his brothers that it was safe to quickly pass by. One by one, the four turtle brothers swiftly ran down the street to the other end. They then dashed up a fire escape to get a overview of the city. The streets were bare, not a car or person present at all.

Michelangelo tilted his head in confusion, "Dudes, the streets are empty. This is New York people!"

"Yeah, usually the streets have someone on them. Where the shell is everybody?" Raphael said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Maybe it has something to do with that festival in time square?" Donetello suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"Donnie's probably right, but still. Be on the look out ninjas, you never know what you can find in a city like this" Leonardo stated, making another hand signal which directed his team to keep moving.

The turtles continued their patrol session, dashing along the rooftops of the various buildings with ease. The absence of sound helped conceal the ninjas into the depth of the night. But soon, the familiar sounds of metal and alien technology made its way to Leo. The leader guided his team towards the sounds. Then the turtles found a group of Krang droids surrounding a van, containing those recognizable vats of glowing mutagen.

Leo reached for his katana blades, making his brothers grab their own weapons. The four ninjas waited for a perfect moment to strike the robots. But they soon lost their chance. They all froze when a figure came out of nowhere, dashing around the area. The person was wearing all black clothing with a ninja mask, making it hard to make out their features. The mysterious ninja used (weapon of choice) to destroy the droids with incredible speed. In under a minute, all the robots were only scrap metal crumbled onto the ground. The mysterious ninja slowly walked to the van and glanced at the mutagen canisters. The ninja then ran off at top speed, disappearing into the shadows.

The turtles stared with disbelief, frozen in shock at that ninja's sudden interference. They have never seen such amazing speed, such smooth ninjutsu moves, or such stealth.

"Who the shell was that?" Donnie asked.

"How did he take them out so fast?" Raph added.

"That was awesome!" Mikey exclaimed.

Leo tapped his chin in thought, he had never seen that ninja before. The figure didn't ring any bells in his head. The rubble of destroyed robot parts displayed that this ninja wasn't playing around and that they meant business.

"Who ever that was, we can't know for sure that he doesn't work for Shredder. He might be a threat to us for all we know, so keep an eye out for him. We'll tell Master Splinter about this when we get back to the lair."

Leonardo and his brothers continued patrol, not able to forget what they just witnessed. 

But they didn't know that this ninja was in fact a kunoichi...

~Your P.O.V~

Your black boots clicked against the metal stairs as you quickly climbed up the fire escape. Thankfully, you always kept your bedroom window open to allow you to get back inside. Slipping inside, you locked it behind you and stripped of your black gloves. You stood in front of your mirror and took off your mask, revealing your (e/c) eyes. Shaking your (h/l) (h/c) out of its bun, you sighed to catch your breath.

"That was crazy" You spoke out loud.

Sitting on your bed, you grabbed your journal and (f/c) inked pen and opened it to the next empty page. Gripping the pen, you began to write.

"Just came back from another run, and stopped a group of those weird robots again. Took them out no problem. But they had this van and it had some kind of containers in them. The liquid inside was glowing green, chemical maybe? Whatever it was, i didn't want to mess with it. I just left. Not only because of the green goo, because it felt like someone was watching me. I could have sworn I saw something up on the rooftops before I left."

You set down your stationary and laid down on your bed. To much stuff is going on, it's messing with your brain. Sleep, that all you need. You didn't bother to change into pajamas, you just closed your eyes and fell asleep.

~Leonardo's P.O.V~

"Master Splinter, this ninja was insanely fast. You should have seen him! He took out those droids in under a minute, and there was like fifteen of them! I couldn't believe my eyes!" 

Master Splinter nodded as he poured Leo a cup of tea. Leonardo told him the entire story. This ninja sounded cleaver...and dangerous... Right now, Splinter was thinking about it.

"This ninja sounds well trained. Did you get a look at his face?" He asked his son.

"No Sensei, it was hard to identify him" Leo replied.

"We do not know if this person is dangerous to you and your brothers. You need to be careful around him. For all we know he could be working for The Shredder. Take no chances Leonardo. Learn about this ninja before you talk to him. He might be friend, he might be foe"

Leo bowed his head in response "Hai Sensei"


	2. Who Is The Ninja?

~Your P.O.V~

The bell rung through the hallway of your school, signaling that the day was over. You entered your locker combination, opened the door and placed in your heavy textbooks. Glancing at the little mirror, you began to fix the strands of hair that had become out of place. But through the mirror, you saw the same girl. The girl who didn't love going home everyday. The girl who stayed up late to explore her abilities. The girl who felt alone in her own world...

Also, you managed to see two familiar faces coming up behind you through your locker mirror. Turning around with a warm smile, you came face to face with the two people that made you forget about your secret life.

"Hey (Y/N)" April said happily.

"Sup (n/n)" Casey added.

You smiled even more, April and Casey always made you feel happy. Even if you'd have a rough day, you can depend on them. "Hey guys, whats up?"

"We're going to hit the skating rink to relax." Casey said.

"Wanna come with us?" April asked.

Your eyes widened slightly. You can't go ice skating tonight, you have planned to go out again. You wanted to find out more about those robots you keep running into. If you went ice skating, then you'd drain all your energy, possibly hurt something before hand. You can't risk getting injured in advanced.

"I can't" You sighed.

"Aw, why not?" April questioned.

"Because I have plans, and I can't skip out on it"

"(Y/N) your always so busy all the time, maybe you should relax" Casey suggested.

"Casey, she said she can't miss it, must be pretty important huh?" April said.

"Yeah, i'm really sorry guys..." You apologized.

"Its okay, maybe next time." Casey suggested.

"I guess we'll see you later then" April said.

"Yeah, see ya"

April and Casey turned around on their heels and left. You instantly felt terrible, it felt like a huge wave a guilt just washed over you. You wish you could hang out with them, you always want to hang out with them. But you didn't want to drag them into your problems. You don't want anyone to get sucked into your problems and have them suffer because of you. 

You wanted to just slam your face into your locker door, but you just groaned and began to bang your head against it.

~April and Casey's P.O.V~

"Hey red, you think that there's something off about (Y/N)" Casey whispered to April when they got out of (Y/N)'s hearing range.

"Now that you mention it, she has been acting a bit strange" April whispered back.

"I hope she's okay, sometimes I worry about her" He added.

"Me too" She replied.

The two of them decided not to worry about it right now. They exited the school together and made their way to the ice rink. But after they were finished skating, they were going to met with the turtles.

{TimeSkip}

~The Turtles P.O.V~

The four turtle brothers were still thinking about what happened last night. The skills that the mystery ninja displayed were unforgettable in such a way. As they all were hanging out in the lair doing their separate things, they were thinking the same thing.

"Who was that last night?" Donnie blurted out, looking up from his laptop.

"I don't know. I wish we knew." Leo replied, flipping through the tv channels.

"Who ever it was, we shouldn't mess with him" Raph said, reading his comic book.

"Yeah, i hope he's on our side. He'd destroy us" Mikey whined, playing on his T-phone.

Just then, April and Casey entered the lair.

"Who'd destroy you?" Casey asked.

"Should we be concerned?" April added.

The turtles looked at each other, as if sending each other visual questions. They all shrugged and decided to tell them.

"Last night, we were out on patrol. When we found a group of Krang, but we were beaten to them" Raphael started.

"Out of nowhere, this dark figure comes out and takes them all out" Donetello added.

"He was so fast, he was out of there in seconds!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

"You should have seen him guys, he was highly skilled. Insanely fast" Leonardo said.

April and Casey exchanged a look as each turtle shot out comment after comment about the situation.

~Your P.O.V~

You sat on your bed, eyes full of tears. It happened yet again, so you locked yourself in your room to be alone. The cuts and markings that decorated your skin stung badly. You wanted to break down into full out crying mode, but you resisted. 

Your eyes traveled to your side table where your (weapon of choice) was lying.

It was already eleven, so why not.

Standing up, you grabbed your weapon and changed into your black outfit. To finish it, you tied the mask around your face. Whenever you were dressed like this, you felt like no one could hurt you. It reminded you that you're strong.

Before you left out the window, you took a glance at the picture at your bedside table. You smiled at it, remembering who it was a picture of.

"I love you Sensei"


	3. A Mystery On Both Ends

You sped across the rooftops, jumping over any obstacle or gap standing in your way. You followed yourself wherever your pounding feet took you. The black fabric of your mask blew in the wind as your speed increased. 

Almost every night, you would go out to do the same thing. To practice your ninjutsu skills. Ninjutsu was a passion of yours, it helped you clear your mind from all your negative thoughts.

You stopped to take a look at the city below you. New York always looks more beautiful at night, its your favorite part of the city. You never want to leave this place, even if moving here made your life harder. But you did manage to fall in love with it, everything about it just captured your heart.

"Well well well, look what we have here."

The sudden dark voice made you snap around to see who it was. It was a girl in silver armor, and she had a group of ninjas behind her. She looked like trouble, the glare she was giving you made you feel uneasy and the tone in her voice gave you a chill.

"Looks like we found our target, father would be impressed" The girl said to her team.

Grabbing your (WoC), you took stance in case they were going to strike at you.

"My father says that you're getting in his way of defeating his enemies. So he sent me to finish you off"

You spoke no words.

"A quite one huh, I can work with that"

She nodded to her team of ninjas, and they ran towards you with drawn swords. The sounds of clashing metal rang through the empty night. These ninja were different then the brain robots you were use to, so understanding their fighting patterns was a difficult task. The girl just stood off to the side and watched her team try to take you out. But the ninjas didn't expect your speed. Thus, the fight was on!

{Meanwhile}

~Leonardo's P.O.V~

Leonardo decided to go on patrol by himself tonight. Being alone really helped the turtle think to himself. He needed a break from his brothers fighting over the last slice of pizza anyways.

Leo stood on top of a tall building, watching over his beloved city. The cool wind blew in his face, making his mask dance in its breeze. He let out a long sigh in content. Many thoughts crossed his mind while was up there. His family, his enemies, his adventures, and the endless list of unsolved mysteries.

But, his train of thought was broken when he saw something off in the distance. He squinted his eyes in attempt to make the far away image more clear. I looked like a fight. A ninja's fight.

Leonardo didn't hesitate to react. He swiftly dashed towards the fight. It might be the foot clan, he thought. If it was, then he could maybe listen in and get some information. Leo decided to take the risk, even if it might be dangerous to do so.

~Your P.O.V~

These ninjas weren't playing any games. Fighting them was very different then fighting against the robots that you were use to. Early on in the battle, you had the lead. Your (WoC) clashed against their swords and knocked them to the ground. The kicks you swung and punches you threw shook them up.

But you slowly began to lose the fight.

One ninja managed to knock your (WoC) out of your hands, causing it/them to fly off onto the rooftops. Two others grabbed you and forcefully pushed you against a wall. The girl then walked forwards and shot you a dark glare.

"Your skills display your strength. But the foot clan doesn't give mercy"

Her voice made a shiver roll down your back, but you refused to show any trace of fear in your eyes. You struggled to get out of the tight grasp, but most energy was drained from your body from the fight. 

The girl then pulled out a small dagger and grasped it in her hand. She raised it up, getting ready to drop it down on your chest. You closed your eyes, preparing for your sudden and unexpected end.

But out of nowhere, a object came flying and slapped the knife to the ground.

This gave you an advantage. Swinging a kick, you nailed the girl in the face. You got out of the pin, and continued to fight. The girl joined in this time, she was a tough opponent. Back and forth, you and her battled with all you could deliver. Her abilities matched yours, the balance of strength and agility mirrored between the two fighters.

Eventually, you took dominance in the fight. The girl retreated with her group, not looking back. You felt proud of yourself, a one versus six fights didn't always turn out well, but it did this time. 

Placing your (WoC) back onto your belt, you stepped off to leave. But a glimmer of silver caught your eyes. Bending down, you picked up the small object and examined it. It was a shuriken. The face had a little symbol that you didn't recognize. This was the object that saved your life.

It must have belonged to the person who threw it. Glancing around, you didn't see anyone around the area. You shrugged, placing the throwing star on your belt beside your weapon.

When you find who it belongs to, whoever it is, you'd thank them for saving you.


	4. Sweet Lotus Blossom

The (f/c) ink glided effortlessly across the page, capturing every word that you intended to write down. You quickly glanced up to see if anyone'e eyes were watching, but everyone was focused on the science lesson your teacher was teaching. You couldn't care less about the information on the white board, you're getting an A in this class anyways. You continued to write your thoughts in your journal.

"I got into a real fight last night, with real ninjas. It was certainly more exciting then those robots with brains in their chests. But the leader of the ninja team said that her father wanted me dead. She also said that i was getting in the way of her father. I have no idea who her father is, i don't even know who she is. She looked like a gothic kunoichi, but that's probably what she is. She mentioned something about 'The Foot Clan', my guess is that it's who she works for. I was almost killed by them, but someone threw a throwing star to save me. All i know is this, someone wants me killed and someone saved my life. I have no idea who."

You stopped writing when the bell rung. Closing your journal, you slipped it into your backpack and threw the bag over your shoulder. You were going to leave right away to get to next class, but your two best friends stopped you. 

"Hey (Y/N), we need to work on our project. Wanna come over after school to finish it?" April offered.

"Yeah of course, it's due on Friday" You replied.

"Friday! Will we get it finished on time?" Casey whined.

"Yeah, if you don't slack off and help me and April" You responded sarcastically.

April chuckled, "Okay, i gotta get to class. See you guys after school"

You and Casey waved to April as she left, then the two of you proceeded to your next class together. You and Casey are in the same English class, so you both walked there together.

"We better be quick, Mr. Parker is gonna kill us if we're late!" Casey said with worry.

"You go ahead Casey, i need to grab my textbook from my locker" You said.

"Alright, don't complain to me if your late" He laughed, nudging your shoulder.

Casey walked off in the direction of your English class, while you made a detour to your locker. You entered the combination, opened the door and emptied the unnecessary contents of your backpack into it. You then grabbed your English textbook and shoved in your bag. Before you closed the locker door, a familiar picture caught your eye.

It was a picture of you when you were young, with your parents, and your Sensei.

A tear came to your eye as the flaming memory flashed through your head. It happened years ago, but it still haunted you to this day. Every time you thought of it, it shattered your heart every single time. 

You still remember the last words your Sensei spoke to you: "Be strong my sweet lotus blossom, never forget your purpose, a kunoichi is always strong"

You wiped away an oncoming tear as you closed your locker door. 

"Sensei said to stay strong (Y/N), so don't cry. Plus you don't want your makeup to drip just before class, you'd look like a raccoon" You told yourself out loud, thank god no one heard you.

Just then, the bell rung again, indicating that you were now late.

"Oh no, Mr. Parker is going to kill me!" You gasped, instantly dashing off to class.


	5. A Disturbance

Currently, you were with April and Casey over at April's apartment to work on your science project. A lot of stuff needed to be done, notes, research, writing, drawing and organizing had all your brains tied in knots.

You and April both had your laptops and phones out to gather information on the topics that needed to be talked about. But Casey was no help...as expected...

"Casey, could you help us to research instead of scoffing down those chips" You asked, sounding annoyed.

Casey made a muffled noise in return, talking through his mouthful of chips.

"We're serious Casey! This is an important project" April snapped.

"Fine. Seriously, you both are stressed out by this"

"No we're not!" You raised your voice.

Casey just laughed at your sarcasm. But he did begin to help you and April on your project.

{TimeSkip}

Hours passed, and it was already 11:34 pm. Your little team of 'scientists' managed to finish most of the project, with only small details needing to be added. You also managed to make a mess of April's apartment, with papers scattered across the floor, unorganized binders left here and there, and endless salty crumbs from Casey's collection of empty chip bags.

April and Casey actually fell asleep, their forms sprawled across the floor. While you were scrolling through your phone, checking messages, liking instagram posts, and seeing if your favorite Youtuber uploaded any new videos. 

But then you heard a noise, a loud noise....

It nearly made you jump out of your skin, you're surprised it didn't wake April and Casey. The noise didn't sound like it was coming from the apartment, but from outside, on the roof top. You thought about what it could be. It sounded like metal. That familiar metal clashing sound of robots. 

Oh no, what of it is those robots. You didn't hesitate to react!

Glancing across the room, you spotted your backpack. Thankfully, it contained your black clothing that you used to disguise yourself and your trusty (WoC). Problem is, that between you and it, was the mess that you and your friends have made.

Slowly standing up from a chair, you tiptoed between the crumpled papers and scattered stationary. You didn't want to wake April or Casey, your kunoichi skills assisted you with that part. You managed to cross the room to your backpack. Throwing it over your shoulder, you made your way to the bathroom to change.

After getting dressed, you snatched up a stray sticky note and a pen. You quickly wrote down a note so your friends wouldn't worry about you.

"Went home, we can finish the project later. -(Y/N)"

You put the note somewhere where they would notice, Casey's forehead. Dashing over to the window you slipped out with your weapon drawn.

Before climbing up the fire escape, you placed down your backpack. You proceeded up the stairs, clenching your (WoC) in your teeth. Once you got up to the roof, you took stance once you saw the robots.

But on the other side of the roof, four mutants turtles with ninja weapons made stood. Confusion entered your mind, mutant turtles?

(The Turtles P.O.V)

Right before the turtles struck to fight the Krang, the mystery ninja appeared on the other side of the rooftop.

"Dudes, its him!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Good, another person to beat on!" Raph snapped.

"Guys, we've seen that he is against the Krang, worry about him after" Donnie pointed out.

"Donnie's right, get the Krang first!" Leo shouted.

The turtles charged against the Krang, so did the mystery ninja. 

All five ninjas sliced the Krang droids to pieces. The occasional battle cries and screams rang through the New York night. The turtles and the mystery ninja assisted each other with taking down the aliens, creating a deadly team.

Once the droids were taken out, the turtles surrounded the mystery ninja.

"Dudes, he's even more awesome up close!" Mikey squealed with joy.

Silence fell among them, until Leonardo spoke up...

"Take his mask off!"


	6. The Girl of the Mask

Raphael charged forwards in attempt to grab the ninja, but they managed to jump away just in time. Michelangelo and Donatello then gave it a shot, but the same thing happened, the ninja jumped away causing Donnie and Mikey to crash into each other.

Leo watched the ninja dash off at top speed in the opposite direction. He was determined to find out who was hiding under that mask. Narrowing his eyes in frustration, he took off after the slick figure. "After him guys!" His brothers obeyed, following their blue-clad leader to pursue the mystery ninja.

The chase was on!

The ninja picked up the pace, realizing that they were being followed. The ninja began to jump around from building to building with even greater speeds, trying to confuse the turtles. The four brothers did their best to keep up, following every move made. They grew dizzy from every sudden change in direction, but they were hot on the ninja's tail.

Raphael managed to get ahead of the ninja and stopped them in their tracks. "You're not going anywhere, hotshot!" He snapped, getting in front of the ninja.  
Raph grabbed the ninja and pinned them to the ground with great force. The ninja struggled to get free, but Raphael's strength prevented any escape. The rest of the team caught up, breathing heavily from the excessive running. 

"Yeah Raph! You got him!" Mikey exclaimed with joy.

"Nice job Raph" Leo said, breath still heavy from the chase.

"No problem chief!" Raph responded, feeling victorious.

Donatello didn't say much, because he was looking at the ninja. Something didn't seem right about him, then Donnie realized...it isn't even a him!

"Uh, guys... don't mean to break the moment but...remember how we were saying that he's a ninja... well i'm pretty sure we got a kunoichi..." Donnie said nervously.

Raphael reached up and ripped away the black mask covering the ninja's face, revealing a pair of beautiful (e/c) eyes. The turtles were shocked.

~Your P.O.V~

"Is this how you were taught to treat girls?" You said sarcastically to the mutant who was still pinning you to the ground.

He got up off of you after muttering an apology. You dusted off your clothes and shook out your hair before looking at the mutants. Judging by their skills back at the robot fight, and the weapons strapped to their turtle shells, they must be ninjas.

"My guess is that you're all brothers?" You said, pointing between the four of them.

The one with the blue mask nodded, "Yes, sorry for assuming you were a guy" He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Its okay, I usually keep my identity a secret when I'm fighting those robots" You replied.

"The Krang are trouble, we've seen you defeat them before." The purple-masked one said.

"You're really good dudette!" The orange-masked one exclaimed.

You giggled, "Thanks, I'm (Y/N)"

The blue clad one smiled, "Well, I'm Leonardo. This is Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo." He said, pointing to his brothers in the right order. "We're mutants...and ninjas...yeah..." He stuttered, he seemed flustered. You just giggled at the light glow in his cheeks.

"Named after the great renaissance artists, very unique! Also, you guys work well together in battle." You complemented.

"Thanks, but you helped us. You got some skills, sister" Raphael said.

"It was nothing, I need the practice anyways" You waved off.

You took the throwing star from your belt that you found a few nights ago. Holding it up, you asked the turtles, "Does this belong to you boys by any chance?"

Leonardo recognized the metal piece, it was the one he threw.

"Yeah, I'm the one who threw it... I couldn't just stand there and do nothing" He said shyly.

You walked to him and handed him the star, "Thank you Leonardo, for saving my life"

He nodded respectively, which you returned. You then checked your phone for the time, it was not extremely late.

"Hey, I gotta go. Its getting pretty late. Maybe i should give you my number...you know...just in case if you guys need any back up"

Leonardo handed you his phone, which was shaped like a turtle shell, so you could type in your number. You did so, sneaking in a emoji after it.

"I guess I'll see you boys around, bye " You them waved off before you jumped off the rooftops to head back to you're apartment.

~Leonardo's P.O.V~

Leo watched you slip away into the shadows, the blush beginning to grow on his cheeks even more. He had no words, you struck him that hard. When he fully got a look at your face, he thought you were gorgeous. He looked down at his T-Phone, seeing the little emoji you left beside the number.

Raph looked at the T-Phone as well, and instantly smirked at his brother "A heart emoji? That's gotta mean something, she's flirting with you Leo."

"What, no. Its probably nothing Raph" Leo shrugged off, trying to hide his blush.

"Dude, she was flirting with Leo!" Mikey sang.

"She was, wasn't she!" Donnie added.

"Cut it out guys! We need to get back to the lair, come on"

An angry Leo lead his team back to the lair, face growing in heat.

...His brothers noticed again...

"LEO'S IN LOVE!" The three of them shouted in sync.

"SHUT UP GUYS!" He growled back


	7. Blue and Black Masks

~In The Depths Of New York~

The Shredder had his followers gather in the main hall of his lair. Silence fell around the group, only the sound of the waves from the water beside the pathway. Shredder looked at the faces before him. There was Fishface, Razar, TigerClaw, Baxter Stockman, and his daughter Karai.

"You called for us Master Shredder?" TigerClaw asked.

"I have. We have serious measures to discuss" He said in his dark, spine-chilling voice.

"Is it regarding that ninja we come across all the time?" Fishface questioned.

Shredder nodded, "Correct, he is getting very annoying"

"I ran into him last night, he nearly ripped off my wings" Baxter buzzed.

"Karai said that she almost had him, i'm disappointed in you my daughter!"

"I'm sorry father, but he was too fast for my team" She defended herself.

"That's no excuse Karai! Anyways, he is getting in the way of things. Most important, he's blocking us from defeating Hamoto Yoshi. We cannot afford to lose time to this ninja!"

"What do you want us to do Master?" Razar asked.

"Bring him to me, i will finish him myself. I want him to suffer!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Its 10:30 pm, and you should be asleep right now. All the other people in the apartment were sleeping, but you were wide awake and laughing. Currently, you're sitting on your bed, on the phone with the mutant you met last night, Leonardo. The two have been talking for hours, laughing and getting to know each other. Even though he's a mutant turtle, he was practically a normal teenage boy. 

"Hey i have have something to ask. Remember those ninjas that attacked me a few nights ago, who were they. I believe you're brother said that they were called the foot clan or something"

Leo sighed "Yeah, they're very dangerous. Their leader, The Shredder, is enemies with my Sensei. He's out to get us. They are a clan that shouldn't be messed with"  
You hummed in thought, "The girl that was leading them said that her father wanted me dead or something."

"That was Karai, The Shredders daughter. watch out for her. She doesn't care if she hurts anyone. She's someone who can't be trusted" He warned.

"Got it. I also want to thank you again for throwing that shuriken to stop her from stabbing me. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you Leo"

"It was nothing really" He said, sounding flustered.

"No really, i would have been gone. You saved my life Leonardo, that's not just nothing."

"No problem (Y/N)"

You were going to keep talking but you left out a yawn. It was probably time to got to bed. You did stay up late last night doing ninja stuff.

"You sound tired. It is almost eleven, you should get some sleep (Y/N)" Leo suggested.

"I guess so. I enjoyed talking to you Leonardo."

"Even if I'm a mutant?"

"Yep, you don't seam that different then a regular teenager. You're cool. And its always nice to meet someone who's as dedicated to ninjutsu as i am. I don't really meet anyone like that you know"

"Yeah. Now you go to bed, get some rest"

"Guess you're right. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow night?"

"That be great! How about a midnight?"

"Midnight's perfect. Goodnight Leonardo"

"Goodnight (Y/N)"

You hung up, and placed your phone on your side table. Before you laid down and crawled under the covers, you felt your face. It was warm, very warm. You can't be blushing over him, can you? He is very charming, and funny, and nice, and his stuttering is extremely adorable. But he's a mutant, will a relationship between a human and a turtle even work? 

"Stop thinking like that (Y/N), his personality is just like a regular person. Who knows, maybe he's not just a mutant." You said to yourself.  
But do you have a crush on this guy? Maybe. Possibly. Most likely!

You shook your thoughts out of your head, you can think about this tomorrow. Continuing on, you laid down and relaxed under the covers. You can worry about everything later, but for now, this kunoichi needs her sleep.

~Meanwhile~

Once Leonardo hung up, a smile spread across his face. He could talk to you for hours and hours. He's happy that he met you, he's happy that he saved you from Karai, he's happy that he got your number. It was good that he made a new friend for battles, but he did think that you're quite sweet, maybe even attractive.   
"Oooh, look guys. Leo's blushing" Mikey said suddenly.

Leonardo didn't even notice that his brothers walked into the room. He scrambled to sit up straight, pretending he wasn't doing anything. But the three saw right through him, mostly because of the blush on his face.

"~Did you call your girlfriend?~" Donnie sang in a teasing tone.

Leo grumbled in annoyance

"I get why you guys tease like that, its kinda fun!" Donnie added, remembering how his brothers tease him about April.

"We heard you talking to her Leo. Is she meeting you tomorrow night?" Raph asked

"Yeah she is..." Leo admitted, face raising in heat.

Mikey gasped, "Can we come!?!?"

"No!"


	8. Partner In Crime

The large amount of Krang droids fired their weapons at the turtles, making them scramble to dodge the bullets. The turtles didn't expect to run into so many robots in one street at one time, but they began to take them out. 

No matter how many they stabbed, sliced, or decapitated, the Krang seemed like they just kept coming. The turtles were starting to lose, getting closed into a circle surrounded by more than thirty droids.

"There's too many!" Raph shouted.

"We can't fight back anymore. We're gonna have to retreat!" Donnie yelled back.

"We can't retreat! They'll catch us dudes!" Mikey whined

"Leo, ideas?" Raph asked.

"I don't know guys. We gotta-"

Leonardo was about to suggest something, but a familiar voice stopped him. 

"Need a hand?"

Storming onto the scene, you quickly used your (WoC) to take out some droids. Your speed helped to take out a two or three at a time, clearing a space for the four mutants to fight.

"Come on guys! Lets go!" You shouted, encouraging them to continue fighting.

The four looked relived to see you, smiles spread across their faces.

"Yes! Back up!" Donnie cheered.

"I guess she is useful" Raph said. 

"Alright! Booyakash!" Mikey yelled.

The turtles went back to fighting, now with new assistance. You even combined moves with the turtles, taking out more Krang faster. With your extra help, all robots were crushed and or chopped up, leaving the pink aliens scrambling around the street. 

"Thanks for the help (Y/N)" Leonardo said.

"No problem! These Krang are so easy to take out. One swing of my (WoC) and they're out like a light" You replied, placing your weapon(s) back into your belt and taking off your mask.

"Maybe you should help us more often, there's always room for one more for the team" Raphael suggested. His brothers nodded, all agreeing.

"Really? That be cool. I always wanted to be on a ninja team, never really got the chance to" You said.

"Well now you're part of one. Come on guys, lets get back up on the rooftops. Scout the area for anything else" 

Leonardo waved his hand, motioning everyone to follow him up a fire escape. You and the turtles climbed up the building and got onto the roof. Staying up on high ground, the five ninjas dashed across the buildings, looking for any trouble. It was the start of a new level of ninjutsu teamwork, you became the turtle's partner in crime.


	9. She's Got Her Secrets

"(Y/N), wake up."

April's call didn't have any effect, your eyes stayed shut. You continued in dreamland, your head laid on the desk and hair spilled around your form. 

The red-head looked at Casey, who was trying his best to hold in a laugh. Your two friends have been noticing that you've been tired all day, falling asleep in most of your classes. They were worried, more then last week. Last week was just you acting weird and isolated all the time. But now you seemed like you didn't get much sleep. But it was kinda amusing to see you sleeping in class.

"Wake up!" April slapped the back of your head, making you shoot up back to the real world.

"I'm up!" You screeched, grogginess still present on your face. "What I'd miss?"

"You fell asleep again (N/N), that's like the forth time today" Casey said.

"Is everything okay with you (Y/N)? First, you don't act like yourself, now you're falling asleep in class. Whats going on?" April asked.

You paused for a second. With you going out at night to fight alongside the turtles, you didn't want to drag your two best friends into it! Plus, you certainly didn't want to tell anyone that there are mutants in the streets of New York. You quickly tried to defend your secret.

"Nothings wrong guys. I just haven't been getting much sleep, that's all." You said, yawning in the process.

"Are you sure? Cause you seem different these days" Casey added.

"Yes, i'm fine" You said.

April and Casey shrugged it off, believing what you said. Hopefully they don't find out about what you do after school...or what happens to you at home...

"Hey, you guys wanna come to my Hockey game tonight? Its the final game of the season and its gonna be big!" Casey asked you and April.

"Sure, you coming (Y/N)?" April questioned.

You can't go to a Hockey game tonight, you're meeting up with Leonardo later tonight! You can't cancel on Leo, and you don't want to upset Casey. But it wouldn't hurt to say no to Casey, would it. No i wouldn't, he'd be fine.

"I can't tonight" You sighed.

"Why not! You always come to my hockey games!" Casey asked.

"I'm meeting someone tonight" You said. Wait, that didn't exactly come out right!

"~Ooooh, does someone have a date tonight?~" April sang.

Your face turned pink, "No! Its not a date...its just a..."

"It is a date isn't it!" Casey shouted.

"Its not a date, we're just hanging out." You replied.

"With who?" They both asked in sync.

"I can't tell you"

The bell suddenly rang, indicating that class was over. You grabbed your bag and stood up from your desk. April and Casey did the same following you out of the classroom.

"Come on (Y/N), tell us!" Casey pressured you.

"Yeah, we won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about" April added.

"Still not saying, plus you don't even know him" You replied.

You starred to walk way from them but they followed.

"Tell us!"

"Bye guys!"

They gave up and turned around, making their way to their lockers. You sighed in relief. Hopefully they don't find out about anything, you don't want to scare them, or worse, put them in any danger.

~Later That Night~

You quickly changed into your black outfit, putting up your hair and doing up your mask. It was always good that it concealed your identity while you went out a night. However, today it didn't conceal the one thing you were worried about. You had fresh cuts up your arms and on you face. Hopefully when you met up with Leonardo tonight, he wouldn't notice. You cleaned up most of the stray blood anyway so it wasn't that noticeable.

Grabbing your (WoC), you strapped it/them to your belt. Before you left, you took one last glance in the mirror. Usually you but your hair in a bun when you go out, but today you had a ponytail instead. Since someone already knows that the mystery ninja is female, then might as well look a bit nicer, right? Well, you did want to look a bit cute when you met up with Leo. Good impression right... Okay, you wanted to look cute, for him. You have been hanging out with him for a while now and he's really cool, but you may have developed a small crush on him.

You fixed a few strands of hair then left your bedroom through the window. Climbing up the fire escape, getting to the rooftop, you made your way to the place you and Leonardo always met up at.

On your way you thought about your adventure as a kunoichi so far. It felt like it was just yesterday when you tried your first kick, when you did your first full meditation, when you were first given your (WoC). You've come so far since you were young, getting stronger everyday. Sensei would be proud of you, if he were here that is...

You arrived at the meeting place, on top of a Japanese sushi restaurant. When you and Leo picked it, you both agreed that it was perfect. It was the exact middle point between your apartment and where Leo said he lives with his brothers. 

Leo hadn't arrived yet, so you sat down on the edge of the building. It was amusing to watch the street below, the occasional car passing by or the cat playing in an alleyway. It reminded you how much you loved this city. You always wanted to live in New York, and when you got the offer to live here, you couldn't pass it up. But you didn't know that it would come with a catch...

You snapped out of your train of thought when you heard large footsteps behind you. Turning around, you saw that Leonardo had just arrived.

"Hey Leo" You greeted with a smile.

"Hi (Y/N)" He replied.

He was about to say something else, but he stopped. He stared at your face, seeing the three cuts on your face, one was still dripping with the smallest amount of blood. He then looked at your arms, it was the same.

"(Y/N), where are those from? How did you get hurt?" He asked with worry.

You panicked on the inside, "Oh these, they're nothing"

"That's not nothing, who hurt you?" He wanted an answer.

"No one hurt me, I was fighting okay"

Leo didn't buy it, he could tell that you were lying. 

"(Y/N) listen, i'm your friend. And you can tell me anything"

You stayed silent, looking at the ground biting your lip with nervousness.

"Who did this to you?"

You sighed, "I don't wanna talk about it..." 

Leonardo looked at you, he felt bad. He has seen cuts on you before, it was a regular thing, he just didn't say anything about it. But he wanted to respect you.

"Its okay, i won't pressure you. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to"

You nodded, accepting his respect.

Leo walked over to the edge of the building and looked over the city.

"Beautiful huh?" You said, joining him.

"Yeah" He replied.

You noticed a line going from the building that you both were on, to the other side of the street. Smiling with an idea, you started to walk on it. Leo tilted his head in confusion.

"What are you doing" He asked

"Testing out an idea" You replied.

You took your (WoC) and pointed it/them towards Leo, "Wanna spar?"

Leo looked at you and your idea to spar on top of a suspended rope. He smirked at it, thinking it was smart.

"Alright, but you'll be sorry" He said, joining you on the rope and taking out his katana blades.

"We'll see Leo" You replied.


	10. Kunoichi Of The Lotus

You eyes were glued to the tv of your room as you laid on the bed, remote in one hand and the other shoving popcorn into your mouth. Since you got all your important homework done, you decided to relax with your favorite tv show. You've seen these episodes countless times before, but you loved them every single time.  
As you continued to watch the characters on screen, your phone unexpectedly rang, playing its familiar ringtone. You quickly shot up, paused the tv, and reached for your phone that was laying on your side table. You looked at the front, and instantly smiled. You accepted the call and brought it up to your ear.

"Hey Leo, what's up?"

"Hey (Y/N), I was wondering if your free tonight" He asked.

You looked at your paused tv, your favorite show can wait. "Yeah i'm free, wanna meet up again?"

"Yes that be great. But, i wanted to invite you to the lair where me and my brothers live. So...wanna come?"

You smiled, "Of course i'll come!"

"Great. I'll meet you at our usual place then i'll take you there."

"Okay. Is right now good?" You asked, getting up to gather your ninja stuff.

"Yep, see you soon"

"K, bye"

You hung up the phone and changed into your kunoichi clothes. Strapping your (WoC) to your belt, your phone in your pocket, and your mask over your eyes, you were ready to head out. You locked your bedroom door, jumped out the window and made your way to your and Leo's meeting place.

~TimeSkip~

You watched as Leonardo lifted the man-hole cover. A look of part confusion and part disgust spread across your face. You never imagined that Leo and his brothers lived beneath the city. But its pretty smart, considering that they are mutants and don't want to attract any unwanted attention. But still, the sewer? Isn't that a little gross and or dangerous in some ways? 

"The sewer? Your lair is in the sewer?" You said, completely confused and a bit grossed out.

"It's fine (Y/N), there's nothing dangerous down here." He replied, climbing down the ladder to the underground.

You hesitated, but you trust him in every single way. Stepping down, you followed Leo down the steps. The smell wasn't that bad, you just told yourself that you'd eventually get used to it. Leo lead you down the pathways, the two of you talking along the way.

After a few minutes, you got to an underground subway station. It was decorated like it was considered a home. This was definitely the lair. You didn't expect for it to be so cool. Maybe the sewer wasn't a bad place after all.

"Here we are" Leo said, hopping down the stairs into the living space.

"Leo, this is awesome. Never thought that you could turn a subway station into a home" You said, copying his actions to join him at his side.

You heard three sets of foot steps coming from a room that you assumed was the kitchen. Raph, Donnie, and Mikey's faces light up when they saw you in the lair.

"(Y/N)!!" Mikey shouted with excitement, running towards you to give you a big turtle hug.

"Never thought you'd come here today?" Donnie said.

"Yeah, i thought you guys were out investigating The Krang" Raph added.

"Well, we have been for a few days now. So i thought we needed a little break" Leo answered.

"Yeah, and i've never seen where you guys live. Its pretty awesome!" You said, still tangled in Mikey's hug.

You then heard another set of footsteps. From behind a screen door, a tall mutant rat came into the living area. Something told you to not freak out, something that told you that he was on your side. Maybe it was his smile that told you that he was close to your friends.

"You must be (Y/N). Our mystery ninja, or should i say kunoichi." He said in a deep Japanese accent.

You smiled, looking at your friends beaming faces. "Yeah, i guess i am." 

"I am Master Splinter. If you don't mind, i'd like to speak with you. My sons say that your an excellent kunoichi." He stated, opening the screen door to what looked like a dojo.

You looked at the turtles, them nodding for you to go on. Flashing a friendly smile, you followed their sensei into a dojo. You were absolutely mesmerized my the training room. It had a Japanese feel to it and reminded you back when you use to train in one yourself.

"Wow, this is beautiful. I haven't been in a dojo in years." You said, admiring the small details, from the weapons on the wall to the pattern in the floor mats.

"Years? Why so long? Please (Y/N), sit" Splinter asked you to join him at a small table off to the side. You sat down across from him, watching your posture. He poured you some tea in a small cup and you gladly took it. Once you took a sip, it made you feel even more happy to be back in a Japanese style dojo.

"So tell me (Y/N). My sons say that your ninjutsu is extremely impressive. Yet you say you've haven't been in a dojo for years"

"Yeah, its a long story. Almost every night i go out to train myself. I haven't been in a dojo since i lived in my old town, when my own Sensei was still alive...but i'll never forget him. He taught me to never give up or stand down from anything." You said, trying not to cry talking about your Sensei.

Splinter nodded as he understood. "Its good that you follow what your Sensei told you. If he was still with you, i'm sure he would be proud of you"

Master Splinter spotted your (WoC) hanging from your belt, eyes glistening with curiosity. "That's impressive, a kunoichi with (WoC). It takes a large amount of practice and patients to master (it/them). May i have a look?"

You nodded, placing down the teacup and handing him your precious weapon(s). He held them up, examining their details and structure. But then something caught his attention. A small carving on (its/their) handle(s), a beautiful lotus flower symbol. Master Splinter recognized that symbol anywhere.

"This symbol, its very important (Y/N). Where did you get (this/these)? Were they given to you by your Sensei?"

"Yes, is that special in any way?"

"Yes, yes it is. This symbol belongs to The Lotus Clan, one of the most skilled organisations in ancient Japan. Did your Sensei say that he was part of it?"  
"I think so, he always talked about The Lotus Clan. Yeah he was"

"The Lotus Clan was a great ally to my home clan. They helped us against The Foot. But they were violently wiped out by The Foot. I guess The Lotus Clan lives on"  
"That explains a lot, Sensei use to call me his 'Lotus Blossom'."

"You are a kunoichi from The Lotus Clan, which instantly makes you an ally for me and my sons. You are welcome in our home and dojo at any time."  
You bowed your head respectively, which he returned.

~Meanwhile~

The turtles were waiting outside the dojo, wondering why Master Splinter asked you to talk with him. 

"Dudes, what do you think he's asking her? What if he scares her away! She won't talk to us ever again!" Mikey screamed nervously.

Raph slapped his little brother upside the head, making him squeak in pain, "Mikey, he's not going to scare her away!"

Just then, you and Master Splinter exited the dojo to tell the turtles of their discovery. The turtles looked relived that your still alive, hoping that sensei wasn't too hard on you.

"My sons, this kunoichi is special. She belongs to The Lotus Clan."

The four brothers were shocked. They should have known that you belonged to one of the most powerful Clans in Japanese history.

"The Lotus Clan! But how?" Raph shouted in confusion.

"You told us that The Lotus Clan was defeated completely during a huge battle with The Foot" Leo said.

"I should have known your a Lotus. The moves and the tactics add up to it" Donnie added.

Master Splinter chuckled, "Well it seems that The Lotus lives on. She is a great warrior. Keep her as an ally my sons". And with that Master Splinter left back to the dojo.

You sat next to Leonardo on the couch, "Well, I guess we were destined to be friends."

"It seems so" Leo said, his face growing a soft blush.

You glanced over and saw Mikey playing a video game, a very recognizable video game.

"Is that Super Smash Brothers?"

"Sure is dudette! Wanna play?" He replied, holding out a controller for you to take.

"Yeah I wanna play!"

Raph then butted in, "Ha, lets see if you can beat me (Y/N)"

You snatched the controller from Mikey and eyed Raphael, "You have no idea who your talking to."


	11. Surprise

Its been five weeks since you've met The Turtles. Life has gotten more exciting with mutants in your life, which you never expected. Since your new discovery of being part of one of the most powerful and skilled ninjutsu organisations in Japanese history, you've gotten more confidence during battle. Having friends that share the same passion as you really made you feel more welcome around them. You have grown closer to your new friends, in many different ways.

You have been goofing off with Michelangelo a lot. Together you both challenge the other in video games and joke around. He feels like a little brother to you.

With Raphael, between picking on each other and sometimes getting on the other's bad side, you would always have each other's backs. He's like a older brother.

For Donatello, you can go to him for any problem (personal or academic). Sometimes he even asks you to be his lab assistant, which is always super fun.

You have also developed a friendship with Master Splinter. He asks you to come in and share your ninjutsu skills with the turtles. Sometimes he even reminds you of your own Sensei.

But for Leonardo, that's a whole other story...

Almost everyday, you and Leo talked to each other, meet up, and practice ninjutsu together. You've grown to love hanging out with him every single day. But ever since day one, you couldn't just feel a strong friendship connection with him. You never thought of finding yourself crushing on a mutant turtle, but a lot of things about him stuck out to you. In just over a month, you have learned so much from him and your happy him and his brothers came into your life.

~~~

{Leonardo's P.O.V}

Leonardo heard a small ding buzz from his T-phone. Looking up from his comic book, he looked at the screen to see who the text was from. He instantly smiled, seeing the name he always loved to see pop up on his phone.

(Y/N).

He reached over and picked up his T-phone, reading the text from his favorite friend.

-"Hey Leo! I just wanted to send you that picture we took together from last night"

The phone then buzzed again, adding an attached selfie that showed (Y/N) and Leo together. A light blush spread across Leo's cheeks, he loved that picture. He was definitely going to use that under her contact. Leo quickly opened up his text app and was ready to respond.

-"Thanks, I was wondering when you were going to send me that"

(Y/N) quickly texted him back, -"lol"

The small three letter text was little, but it meant a lot to Leo. His heart fluttered when he read it. The smile on his face grew as his blush deepened. In the past few weeks, Leo's crush on (Y/N) has grown stronger. Deep down he knew he wasn't suppose to feel that way about her, but his stupid emotions sucked him right back in. He feared that she'd never like him back; which was very likely to be the case (in his eyes at least). But he didn't want to wreak their friendship too early because of a silly little crush (more like a huge crush).

His three brothers looked over from the tv. seeing the colour in Leo's cheeks. They all instantly smirked at each other, knowing what was up.

"What'cha doing there Leo?" Raph asked in a teasing tone.

Leo snapped his head up from the phone to his brothers, "Uh.. nothing! Nothing important"

"We know that look look Leo" Donnie said, rolling his eyes at his brother.

"You're texting your girlfriend again!" Mikey exclaimed.

Leonardo's face flushed entirely. His brothers always tease him about how he hangs out with (Y/N) so much. They're actually positive towards them possibly being together. Its better then Karai, and (Y/N) was actually on their side. If his brothers were to pick any girl to be with Leo, it would be her!

"She's not my girlfriend Mikey!" Leo shouted in defense.

Mikey snickered mischievously, "Yet at least. You know you want her to be!"

Leo didn't say anything, he just hid his face behind his comic book.

"(Y/N) is a great girl Leo, i say that she's a good choice." Donnie said positively.

"She is! Better then Karai. Don't give up on this one bro. I say she's a keeper." Raph added.

Leonardo smiled from behind the pages of the book. 

Just then, his phone buzzed again. (Y/N) had sent him another text, an alarming one this time. "Guys, we gotta go. (Y/N) needs our help."

"Whats going on?" Donnie asked.

"She just saw four vans of Krang droids stealing a lot of mutagen. She said that they're headed for the docks. She can't stop them herself."

Raph, Mikey and Donnie already had their weapons ready. In a hurry, the four turtles dashed out of the lair to help (Y/N) and stop the Krang.

~TimeSkip~

{Your P.O.V}

You swiftly dashed across the rooftops, keeping a close tail on the four vans that contained the stolen mutagen. Whatever the Krang were doing with the substance, it wouldn't be a good thing. Hopefully the turtles would come to back you up soon, you might lose the vehicles if they didn't show up fast enough. You kept chasing them down the streets from above, wondering where your friends are.

Suddenly, the four mutants jumped in front of the vans making them come to a screeching halt. Krang droids came out of the vehicles and aimed their guns at the turtles.

"It is the ones known as the turtles" One of them said in their robotic voice.

"Not just us" Leonardo said, pointing his Katana blades forwards at them.

As on que, you jumped from the building and landed beside your friends in battle stance, (WoC) at the ready.

"It is the one known as the one who disrupts the Krang"

"The ones known as the turtles and the one known as the mystery ninja must be destroyed"

"Destroy!"

Laser bullets flew through the air, making the five ninjas scatter and go into extreme battle mode.

~Meanwhile~

April walked down the street, a excited Casey Jones jumping around her. She rolled her eyes as she watched and listened to him ramble on about how awesome the movie was that they just saw.

"That movie was so metal! The explosions and the fight scenes were the best! The ninjas were cool too! I loved the ninjas!"

April sighed, "It was a pretty poor image of ninjas though, don't ya think?"

Casey had to agree, "They were a bit stereotypical."

"Exactly. The turtles are obviously better then those fictional ones" April added.

"Definitely!" Casey exclaimed.

April and Casey then heard something in the distance. It was the faint sound of clashing metal and laser guns. They both exchanged a look, both realizing that it was nothing from their imagination and it was real. 

"Krang attack" Casey said.

"Lets go" April added.

The two took off running, straight towards where the sound was coming from. Casey was gripping a hockey stick and April has her fan blade. Once the sound was just around the corner, they slowly crept up behind the wall and looked around that corner. It was indeed a Krang attack. Thankfully the turtles were taking care of it. But there was another ninja with them, dressed in black and a mask covering their face. This had to be the mystery ninja the turtles always talked about, the one who was so good at ninjutsu. They must have made an alliance with them.

But April and Casey's jaws dropped when they saw the ninja take off their mask. It was the last person they'd expect to see.

~Back To You~

Once all the Krang droids were destroyed or crushed or decapitated, you all cheered in victory. You went around high-fiveing the turtles and jumping around in excitement.

"Thanks for the help guys. I don't know what i'd do without you!" You said with a smile.

"No problem (Y/N), wouldn't want the Krang taking all this mutagen and dumping it in the water supply or something" Leo chuckled.

You nodded, then looked back at the rubble from the robots. "Whats gonna happen now?"

"Leave it for the police to clean up. It would be good for the public to know a little about the krang" Donnie said.

Then the unexpected happened...

"(Y/N)?!?!" 

The sound of two familiar voices came from around the corner. You watched the owners of the voices walk towards you. Your mind began to race, asking many questions. Why are April and Casey here? How long have they been standing there? Did you just drag them into danger? Are they even gonna be your friends after this?

"April? Casey? What are you guys doing here?" You asked.

"What are you doing here (Y/N)?" April asked.

"You're the mystery ninja?!" Casey asked.

"Wait, you know April and Casey?" Raph asked.

"You know them?" You asked.

"You know (Y/N)?" April asked.

The seven of you stared at each other as everything fell into place. Apparently you were all friends and non of you knew about it until now. You all burst into laughter, realizing how ridiculous this all was.

"Okay, so apparently we all know each other" Donnie said finally.

"Seems so" You shrugged.

April instantly jumped towards you, "(Y/N), i can't believe that it was you the whole time! I never thought that you'd be a kunoichi. This is a bit overwhelming actually"  
You giggled, "I never thought that you'd know the turtles"

Casey then butted in, "Your a kunoichi! That's so awesome! It does explain why you're so good in gym class..."

Mikey squealed with happiness, "I can't believe we're all friends. AND WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT!!!! I say we celebrate with pizza!"

Everyone agreed, pizza sounded great at the moment. As everyone walked off together, Leonardo came up to you.

"Well this is a surprise. I never knew you knew April and Casey"

"I though the same for you. I guess being in a secret life can have its surprises."

You both laughed, blushing equally. Leo gestured for you to follow him to catch up with the others, which you quickly caught onto.

Having a secret life does have its hidden surprises.


	12. Burning Questions

You sat down at a table in the cafeteria, rubbing your red arm as the pain continued to strike through it. April and Casey joined you, watching you wince in pain. 

"Sorry about that (N/N), i didn't see you standing there when i threw that basket ball" Casey apologized, scratching the back of his neck with shame.

"Its okay Casey, its not your fault" You replied.

Gym class didn't go as good as planned today. Casey can be a 'drama queen' sometimes, especially when it comes to sports. Lets just say he got mad at the gym teacher and happened to be holding a basket ball at the same time. Casey threw the ball. It bounced off the wall. You were standing in its path. You got hit in your good arm.

Great, just perfect. You can't properly move it because it hurts too much. And you were planning to go out tonight to practice ninjutsu and maybe stop some Krang robots.

You sighed with frustration, "Guess i'm not going to practice my ninjutsu today"

"Oh forget it (Y/N), it will pass." April said, waving her hand. "I still can't believe that you're the ninja that the turtles talk about all the time"

"Yeah! You're like the most innocent teenage girl ever, and you just come out as a full on ninja chick. Why haven't you told us before?" Casey exclaimed.

You laughed slightly, "Why is it that every time I bring that back up you guys still freak out? Its been almost a week since you found out and you still question it like its a new thing."

"Because it makes you one hundred times more awesome then you already are!" Casey shouted. He was a bit too loud, April had to smack him upside the head to shush him.

"My guess is that you two sure have a lot of questions huh?"

April nodded, "Burning questions"

You playfully rolled your eyes, "We've got all lunch, ask away. Hopefully i'll clear anything confusing up"

~TimeSkip~

The warm golden sun rays beamed down on you, warming your face and adding to your joyful mood. Your walk home from school everyday was always a peaceful time. It was just you and the sounds of New York in the background.

You couldn't wait to get home and relax, especially after what happened in gym class. Your arm was sure going to be sore after Casey hit you. All you needed was some sleep, no going out tonight. Your inner kunoichi can wait for a day or two.

As you continued to walk down the street, passing many ally ways, you kept hearing quick footsteps from the roof tops. This snatched your attention. When you looked up, you managed to see a swift black figure jumping across the buildings and towards the next ally way.

You chewed on your bottom lip with nervousness. What was that? Your footsteps slowed down as you kept walking. Looking around the corner, you peered into the dark ally. 

Suddenly, the figure came out of the shadows, nearly making you jump out of your skin. Thankfully it was a friendly face.

"Hey (Y/N)" Leonardo said with a soft smile.

You jumped back a step and let out a yelp I'm surprise. Breathing out in relief as you realized who it was.

"Leo, don't do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack" You said jokingly, giggling afterwords.

A shameful look crossed his appearance, "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't want anyone else to see me"

"Its okay, i forgive you" You replied. Then you gave him a confused look. "What are you even doing out here? Its the middle of the day."

"Well i was on patrol a bit and i just happened to see you walking. I guess you just got off from school right?"

You nodded, "Yeah, i need to get home. I have to rest, got a little worked up in gym class today" 

Leo smiled in understanding. Then he was silent for a few seconds. He looked nervous. Rubbing the back of his neck, he opened his mouth to speak again.

"(Y/N), there's something i've been meaning to ask you..."

You perked up at his words.

"I was wondering if you wanted to...you know...get dinner sometime..."

A smirk spread across your face. "Are you asking me out on a date Leo?"

His face flushed, "Yeah...i mean... If you want to that is...you don't need to"

"I'd love to" You said, trying to not squeal with happiness.

He smiled, "Really?"

You hummed in response, "How dose tomorrow night sound?"

"Great" Leo replied.

"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow night Leonardo"

"See you then (Y/N)"

You both parted ways after you said your goodbyes. Continuing your walk, you were smiling like an idiot and freaking out on the inside. Leonardo just asked you out! The excitement bubbled up in your bloodstream. You can't wait for tomorrow night to come. Its probably going to feel like forever and a half, but maybe you'll try to be patient.


	13. I've Got Plans

You dropped your bag at the foot of your bed and instantly collapsed onto the soft covers. Sighing in content, your muscles relaxed after your extremely long day. It felt like it was never going to end. Each class got slower and slower as the day progressed. When you have something exciting planned for a night out, if its with friends or someone special, it can kill you to sit through a entire day waiting for it.

But thankfully, it was almost night time, just a few more hours and you'd be out on a date with Leonardo. A few hours too many though. You were super excited (maybe a bit too excited) for the date. 

To pass the time, you decided to grab your laptop and just mess around. You entered the password and pulled up your search engine. You checked your e-mail, your Youtube subscriptions, read some random articles, and came across some fanfictions of your favorite show.

Then you opened your Skype. Almost instantly, you had an incoming call. It was from April! Without hesitation, you accepted it and you were soon face to face with on of your best friends.

"Hey April! What's up?"

"Hi (Y/N)! I was wondering if you wanted to come to the movies with me and Casey. We're going to see that new superhero one! Wanna tag along?"

Your eyes widened. "I-I can't...i've...uhhh... got plans."

A look of confusion decorated April's face. "Plans? What plans? What are you doing tonight?"

Your face began to become red. "Oh, it's nothing important... just... going out... somewhere...heh..."

April smirked. "Your face is red (Y/N). Are you sure it's just 'nothing'."

You raised your hands to your cheeks, feeling the heat they gained. "Yes nothing!"

April raised her eyebrow, making you growl at her. "Guh! Bye April" You quickly ended the call and shut the laptop closed.

You grumbled in frustration. Grabbing your journal and favorite pen from your night stand, you opened to an empty page and began to glide your pen across the paper.

"Situation right now, I'm about less then six hours from going on a date with Leonardo. Problem is, April knows that i'm doing something tonight. But thankfully she doesn't know what. Hiding is one of the things i do best, but i just don't want April and Casey to know that i'm dating Leo. They might find it weird or possibly straight up a problem. I might just be overeating (i tend to worry a lot) but who knows, i might be right this time..."


	14. A Date In Blue

Raising your phone up with the camera open, you struck a couple cute poses while you took some selfies. You're really happy with how your outfit, hair and make up turned out. It was not too fancy, yet not too casual. While your dressed nice, might as well take some selfies. You can never pass up a photo opportunity now can you?  
You were super excited for tonight, it was the night of your first date with Leonardo. The happiness was so real that you held back the temptation to freak out. You've been waiting all day for this, this morning you wished you had a time machine just to make the time come.

You decided for your outfit to be blue, meaning to match Leo's signature mask. Hopefully he'd like it, blue is a pretty colour after all.

Looking at the time on your phone, you realized that you have a few minutes before Leo comes to pick you up. So you decided to sit down on your bed and scroll through your phone. You looked in your photo album and began to skim through all the pictures. Most of them were your selfies, some wallpapers and the occasional picture from (favorite tv show).

Then you came across a group of photos that were selfies you took with the turtles. You smiled at it, remembering the day you took those pictures. You were feeling super upset about something that happened at school, you wanted to lock yourself away forever. But then Michelangelo invited you for a movie night over at the lair. The turtles helped you be happy again and made you forget about what happened. You've never laughed so hard in your life before that day.

The turtles make you feel appreciated and they can easily cheer you up any day. If you haven't met them over two months ago, then you'd probably be a mess at this point in time. You've grown so close to them in such a short period of time, but yet it feels like you have known them for your whole life. 

Continuing to look through pictures, you found one of just you and Leonardo. It instantly made a smile spread across your face. You really like Leo, more than a friend. The fact that he even asked you out was a bit unbelievable, almost like a dream. Hopefully the date will go well. Does Leo even know about dating and girls? Maybe he does, he watches too much tv after all.

Speaking of your favorite turtle, your head shot up when you heard a tap on your window. You saw Leo waiting outside behind the glass with a friendly smile. You got up, slipped your phone in your pocket, and dashed towards the window to open it. Sliding the window open, a light breeze greeted you, along with your date.  
"Hey (Y/N), you ready to go?" He asked. He sounded nervous. He looked nervous. Oh gosh he's nervous!

You nodded, "Yeah, all ready"

He held his hand out for you to take, watch you did without hesitation. Leo helped you climb out the window and you both climbed the fire escape up towards the roof top. Once you got up there, you noticed the beautiful clear night sky. Stars were sprinkled across the dark space with the glowing moon and its illuminating rays lighting up the city.

Leonardo took a moment to look at your outfit. He noticed that you did your hair and put on a light amount of make up. It made him smile that you'd do that for a date with him.

"You look great, i like your outfit...it's nice...very nice actually." He said nervously. Damn he looked adorable when he was nervous.

You blushed slightly, "Thank you Leo. So, where we headed?"

The blue-clad turtle shook the nervousness out of him, trying to focus on the important part of the night. "Just follow me (Y/N). Its not that far from here. We'll be there in no time."

Leo gently took your hand and you both made your way across the rooftops. About four minutes later you both came to the top of a tall building that had a perfect view of the stars. Spread across the rooftop, was a blanket complete with lit candles. There was a box of fresh pizza and a carton of lemonade.

"Sorry about the food choice. It was the only things I could get my hands on at the moment" Leo apologized rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Don't worry Leo, its perfect" You replied, glancing up at him with a smile.

The two of you sat down on the blanket side by side, starting to eat and strike up a conversation. Leo was being such a gentleman, but then again he is most of the time. You had a good feeling that this will turn out to be a great first date.

~Back At The Lair~

Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello sat around the tv, watching a random action movie they found while scrolling through the channels. They all felt extremely bored. With Leo gone, there wasn't a mission to go on. Plus, if they went out, they might run into Leo and (Y/N) on their date. Leo was sure to kill them for that if that happened.

"Hey guys, how much you wanna bet that he kissed her already?" Mikey randomly asked, a cheesy smile spreading across is face.

"None, Leo's too big of a scaredy shell to do something like that" Raph replied, scoffing at the idea of his brother being brave enough to do anything romantic.

"That is true. But maybe (Y/N) has enough courage to do that..." Donnie said, deep in thought.

"She wouldn't either. The two of them can't even look at each other without turning red." Raph said again.

Michelangelo and Donatello exchanged a look. They had the same idea.

"Let's make a bet. We say that they will kiss before the end of the night, you say they won't. If we win, we get your pizza for the next week. But if you win, you get ours." Donnie explained.

Raphael perked up at that. That's a lot of pizza he could win, plus he could tease his brothers about not having pizza to eat. "I'm in!"

"You're going to lose Raph!" Mikey shouted, jumping up in excitement.

"We'll see about that one Mikey." He replied.

Michelangelo eyed his brother, before turning to Donatello and nodding. Donnie smiled, he was sure that Raph was going to lose this bet.

~Back To You And Leo~

It was long after the pizza was gone. You and Leonardo ended up just sitting together on the edge of the building looking up at the gorgeous sight of the night sky. Each shade of blue, white, purple and pink made it worth starting up at the sky. That mixed with the light New York breeze blowing in your faces created a beautiful romantic feeling in the air.

You weren't shy to sit right next to Leo, it just sent your heat fluttering like crazy. The silence between you both wasn't an awkward one, it was a kind one. The two of you just enjoyed each others presents in peace.

Slowly and carefully, you lowered your head onto his shoulder. A light blush crept up on Leo's cheeks, but he didn't seem to mind. This was confirmed by him grabbing you hand. You blushed yourself, lightly squeezing his hand with yours.

"Thank you Leo" You quietly whispered.

The blue-clad turtle let out a small chuckle, "What for?"

"All this. You really made me feel special today..."

Without thinking, you reached up a gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He responded with his face blushing even more. This made you giggle slightly.  
"You're welcome (Y/N), it was nothing really" He said, stuttering to even say so.

The two of you continued to look at the magical night sky, that peaceful silence falling back into place.

Then Leonardo started to think to himself. 'You really made me feel special today'? What is that suppose to mean? Don't you feel special everyday? Why wouldn't you feel special? Your such a happy and cheerful person. What if there's something else? Something else that Leo's missing about you....


	15. Someone Special

Leonardo practically skipped as he made his way through the sewers. He's gotta be the happiest turtle on the face of the earth. His night couldn't have gone any better then it did, it was exactly as planned. Leo sure loved it when things went as planned. 

Being a mutant, Leo never thought he'd actually go on a date with anyone. He's seen a lot about dating and girls on tv, but he never tried if for himself. And he certainly never thought that he'd get a date with a beautiful girl like (Y/N). She even kissed him on the cheek! Leo couldn't get over how he felt.

He never felt this way about anyone before. Yes, he did go through a time when he had feelings with Karai. But (Y/N) is so much more then Karai. (Y/N) is gorgeous, smart, a great kunoichi, and a fun person. Maybe he'll ask her out again soon.

Leo's smile still decorated his face when he entered the lair. His three brothers were still watching tv, looking bored out of their minds. But when they noticed their older brother grinning like an idiot, they all exchanged a look complete with smirks.

"So, how'd it go with your kunoichi hottie~" Mikey sang in a childish tone.

Leo sat down with the smug trio, sighing in content. "Amazing, best night ever."

"Did she like the picnic you set up for her?" Raph asked.

Leo nodded, still daydreaming about his favorite kunoichi.

"And~ Did she kiss you or not?" Donnie asked with curiosity.

"Yeah..."

"YESSS!!!!" Mikey exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. Raphael groaned.

"Well...sorta..." Leo corrected.

"YES!!!" Raph cheered.

Mikey and Donnie were confused, wanting to know if they actually won or not.

"What do you mean sorta? Yes or no?" Donnie complained.

The leader blushed, "She kissed me on the cheek..."

"YES! THAT'S A WIN FOR ME AND DON!" Michelangelo screamed, pointing at a defeated Raphael.

"IT DOES NOT COUNT! It wasn't a real kiss if it was on the cheek!" Raph defended.

"We never agreed on those conditions Raph. We get your pizza for the next week!" Donatello exclaimed. The two victorious turtles jumped up, high threed, and did a victory dance. Raphael grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms and slumping down in his bean bag.

Leonardo tilted his head, then it came to him. "You guys made a bet if (Y/N) would kiss me or not?"

Raphael nodded with an annoyed face, making his brother laugh. He then noticed a marking on Leo's cheek. A (lip colour) marking to be exact. Raph smirked, happy for his brother in a way.

"She really did kiss you huh? Never knew that you'd be the one to get kissed by a girl first, Leo. Someone moves fast."

Leonardo's face flushed as he chuckled nervously, "Me either actually... I just never thought i'd meet a girl like her. She sure is something..."

Raphael got up and sat beside his brother, smirk growing wider. "Listen lover boy, don't mess up this one. She's definitely someone special. Better the Karai that's for sure. I-I just don't want to see you heart broken...okay..."

Leo nodded to him. Sometimes Raph was extremely negative and hot-tempered, but her certainly had his soft side. He'd do anything to keep his brother smiling. Something told Raph that Leo was in good hands, the hands of a girl who wouldn't let anyone down.

Michelangelo jumped between them, intruding their conversation. "Leo, tell use everything that happened! I gotta know!!!!"

Leo rolled his eyes, "Alright then, i'll tell you."


	16. Training Sessions

You took a deep breath as you took your stance. Clearing your mind of all thoughts, you felt the control and power wash over you.

Master Splinter studied your form, looking for any mistakes. As expected, there were non. Your form was in the perfect position, you were calm and you were ready. He liked training an extra student. Master Splinter found your style of fighting very interesting. Since you were taught from a Sencei from the Lotus Clan, your style was different. Your movements were smooth, quick, and straight to the point. The Lotus Clan was designed to have little defense, and to just attack as quickly as possible without getting hit. Master Splinter loved to work this, experimenting with your strategies and learning from you as well. He thought you could tech his sons a thing or two.

Your focus traveled to the sequence that Master Splinter wanted you to perform. You remembered everything, but you wanted to perfect this.

The mutant rat nodded his head, signaling for you to start.

You quickly started the sequence.

A butterfly kick. A swift jump in the air followed by a flip in the air. Taking your (WoC) from your belt and gripping it/them in your hand(s). Perform a few stabbing motions, then a quick swing of your weapon in the air. You finished with a sweep kick and then taking a finishing stance.

Master Splinter was impressed. "Excellent work (Y/N). There is just one thing. You stumbled a bit when you first took your (WoC). And you should keep your chin up on your final stance. Try it again."

"Hai Master Splinter" You said, bowing and taking beginning stance again.

~Meanwhile~

Leonardo was sitting in the living area of the lair, reading a comic book. He was trying his best to focus on the colourful pages of the book, but his attention was moving else where. From the spot he was sitting in on the couch, he had the perfect view of the dojo. Leo watched your dancing silhouette through the thin paper of the dojo walls. He knew he shouldn't be watching you like this, but he couldn't help himself. Your ninjutsu moves seamed to hypnotize him in a way every time he stole that occupational glance up at you.

'Stop it Leo!' He shouted at himself in his head. 'You shouldn't be spying on her like this!'

Leo forced himself to get up and get a glass of water from the kitchen. That would definitely stop him from watching (Y/N).

~Back to You~

"Very well done (Y/N). That's enough training today. You need your rest, it is getting late after all." Master Splinter said.

You bowed in respect, "Thank you Master Splinter. I really enjoy these training sessions."

"You're very welcome (Y/N). It is good to teach a new student" He replied.

You made your way to the door of the dojo.

"Oh, (Y/N)"

You turned your head towards Master Splinter.

"Call me your Sensei"

A smile appeared across your face, "Hai Sensei"

You then exited the dojo, using your forearm to wipe away a drop of sweat off your forehead. For almost three months, you have been training with Master Splinter almost every other day. Sometimes it would be just the two of you, sometimes it was with the turtles. You feel like your ninjutsu has improved since then, it also knocked some more confidence in you as well.

The feeling of being back in a dojo with someone training you really reminded you of your past. It brought back the happy memories of you and your Sensei. But it also brought back those memories that you never wanted to remember. Sometimes you just want to extract that terrible day from your brain and blow it off the face of the earth. These day you're trying your best not to worry about that anymore though. The past is in the past, right?

You picked up your backpack that was lying on the couch, throwing it over your shoulder. A yawn escaped your mouth as you checked your phone for the time. It was getting pretty late. You've been working hard these past few days, some good rest would feel nice. 

You were just about to leave the lair, when a familiar figure walked into the room. He turned the corner so fast that he almost ran into you. Leonardo came out of the kitchen, his face lighting up at the sight of you standing in front of him. The sudden encounter almost made you blush, you didn't expect Leo to come out of nowhere. But then again, he's a ninja, they come unexpectedly sometimes.

"Oh, hi (Y/N). You finished training?" He asked, stuttering his voice just a bit.

"Yeah" You sighed, tired from your workout. "I guess i'm done for today."

Silence fell over you both, making each of you blush from the awkwardness. There was not many times this situation happened between you and Leo, but when it did happen it was unpleasant. You desperately wanted to say something, but you had nothing to say. All you did was look to the ground, shuffling one foot nervously. Thankfully, Leo managed to say something with broke the tension in the air.

"H-Hey...um.. since you had fun on our date a few days ago... i was wondering if you wanted to go out again...if you want to that is."

Your lips curled up into a soft smile. "Yeah, that would be great!"

Before you could say anything else, you felt your phone buzz in your hand. Glancing down at the screen, you cringed at the name it was under as your heart dropped to your stomach. You needed to head home, fast.

"Sorry Leo, i gotta go. I-I've got a...thing...sorta...yeah..." You sputtered out, now wanting to tell the truth.

Leo gave you a confused look, then just decided to shake it off. "It's okay (Y/N). If you have somewhere to be, then who am I to stop you." 

You sighed in relief. "Thank you Leo, i'll see you soon." 

Before you left, you quickly walked up to him. Reaching up on your tip toes, you placed a soft kiss on his cheek; which left a (lip colour) kiss print on it. You waved goodbye as you left, noticing that he was frozen in place- you giggled at this.

Leonardo raised his hand up to his cheek, grinning like an idiot. You have kissed him like this once before, but it still had that same effect; making him blush a deep red. It took him almost an entire day to recover from the last kiss, which will probably become the same for this time.


	17. Crash Landing

The five of you came to a screeching halt, huffing and panting to catch your breaths. The gang of Purple Dragons you were casing managed to steal a van and escape from right under your fingers. Leonardo lead you all for about three blocks to chase them down, but it was no use. They got away.

You looked at your team, the turtle brothers looked angry. You were angry too. That was the first time The Purple Dragons got away from you before you managed to beat them up a bit. You hate it when your prey gets away from you.

Raphael growled and threw his Sai on the pavement as an act of aggression. "We almost had them! I can't believe they got away like that!!"

Mikey groaned. "They never get away from us! What the heck happened?!"

You sighed and looked at the ground, feeling a bit responsible for what happened. You were the one who slipped on a pieces of trash while trying to attack the leader. From your clumsy little mistake, maybe you let them get away. You nervously bit your lip, running your hands down your arms. A whirlwind of shame blew over you.  
"Guys... it was me. I was the one who was going after the leader, and i slipped on something before i could swing my (WoC) at him... It's my fault they got away... i'm sorry...".

The turtles looked at you, confusion clouding their features. Leonardo stepped towards you, placing a hand on your shoulder. "(Y/N), It's not your fault that they got away. We just got unlucky this time. Don't blame yourself."

He gave you a soft smile, which made you feel less guilty. "Thank you Leo."

"They still got away though..." Mikey sighed, which resulted in Raph slapping the back of his head.

"We should head back up to the rooftops guys, someone is gonna see us if we don't keep moving" Donnie pointed out.

Leo nodded. "Donnie's right. Stay on the move ninjas!"

You and the team proceeded to climb up a fire escape to reach the rooftops. From there you all dashed off into the shadows, continuing your patrol for the night.

~TimeSkip~

Turns out, you and the turtles didn't stay focused for much long. You all ended up going completely off task and resulted in racing each other across the city. From building to building, the five of you sped across the rooftops. The competition started to get intense with a couple of exchanged glances.

Michelangelo jumped over your head, shouting his catchphrase out as he took the lead. You raised an eyebrow at him, then flashing a mischievous smirk. The water tower up ahead would give you back your lead.

"Don't celebrate too early Mikey!" You said, putting your plan to pass the orange-clad turtle into action.

Once Mikey was approaching the water tower, you pushed yourself harder to pick up your speed. You caught up to him once he was right beside the tower. Using this to your advantage, you jumped up and used your feet to kick yourself off of the structure. You flung yourself over Mikey with a flip and back into the lead.

You let out a excited cheer, making Mikey growl at you. "No fair Dudette!!!"

You giggled at him. "Of course it's fair Mikey! Just accept the fact that i-".

Suddenly you were interrupted by a loud thud in front of you. Raph managed to get past you both and taking the lead for himself.

"Hey!!!" You and Mikey complained.

Raph just laughed. "You two are so easy to win against! Eat my dust slow-shells!!"

Donnie caught up to you and Mikey, looking like he had a plan of his own. He pulled out one of his ninja smoke bombs and threw it at Raph. This caused him to stop in the purple smoke cloud and become in last place.

"Good thinking Don!" Mikey exclaimed.

Donnie smiled. "Thanks, i've been dying to try that!"

You shushed them once you realized something was missing. "Wait! Guys, where's Leo?"

Out of no where, Leonardo manages to flash pass the three of you. You had no idea how he did that or where he came from. He looked back at you, wearing a smirk in victory. You rolled your eyes at him.

"Show off." You said to him. He responded with a quick wink, which made your face heat up a bit.

But there was a slight problem. One that wouldn't end up well. There was a huge gap between the buildings coming up. Leo didn't notice this important detail with him looking back. He was sure going to fall down into the ally way if he didn't turn around soon. You cringed before shouting: "Leo! Look out!"

But you warned him too late...

Leonardo ran over the edge, yelling out because of the unexpected surprise. He crashed down on the ally way, landing in a metal trash can, head first. You, Raph, Donnie and Mikey looked over the edge where Leo had fallen, seeing him struggle to get out of the trash can. His brothers burst out in laughter, laughing so hard to the point that it was hard to breath for them. You yourself tried so hard not to laugh with them, ending up covering your mouth to stop yourself.

Leo managed to get out of the trash can and back up on him feet. He looked up at the familiar sound of Raph, Mikey and Donnie laughing. But what really bugged him was the look that was on your face, you trying not to laugh. This made him feel extremely embarrassed, his entire face turning red. He never wanted to make a fool of himself in front of you.

"Are you alright Leo?" You shouted down at him, the sound of slight giggling on your voice.

"Y-Yeah, i'm good..." He replied nervously.

"That was awesome! It was better then the last time he fell of a building!" Raph laughed out.

"And you didn't even need to run into a bee hive this time!!" Mikey added.

"Or crash down a fire escape!!" Donnie added.

The three turtles continued laughing and Leo climbed back up to the rooftop. He was mumbing to himself as an act of frustration. You felt bad for him. But you guess thats gotta happen a lot when you have three brothers. Sometimes Casey laughs at you like that when you mess up during gym class (like that time you tripped over a soccer cone while chasing the ball...). When Leo got closer to the top, you helped him by extending your hand to pull him up.

"You sure you're alright? That was a pretty hard fall. You're not hurt are you?" You asked him.

"No (Y/N). I told you, i'm fine" He replied, doing his best to shake it off.

You took a breath of relief. "Good". Reaching up on your toes, you placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. The area around his mask turned red again, displaying him as totally flustered.

"Oooooooooo~" Leo's brothers laughter changed to an almost mocking exclamation.

You cleared your throat, breaking the tence silence between you and Leonardo. "Well then. Now that we know Leo is still in one piece, why don't we continue our patrol? We have gotten a bit off task back there." 

"She's right guys. We've gotten completely off task. We still gotta keep an eye out for those Purple Dragons" Donnie explained.

As if right on que, a loud crash rang from the streets below. You and the turtles looked down, seeing the familiar van now crashed into a building. Exchanging a few looks, you all took out your weapons. Tonight was going to get even more exciting from there!


	18. Birthday Bashed

Leonardo felt like punching himself, extremely hard. How could he mess up so bad at something so important to him. He kept mumbling under his breath about how badly he screwed up as he quickly dashed across the rooftops. Today the calendar read (birth month) (birth day), a very day that Leo was waiting for. It was (Y/N)'s birthday today. The turtles, April and Casey were planning to throw her a surprise party at April's place on the night of her birthday. There was one problem though, Leonardo was late. Thanks to him wanting to make his present for her perfect, he lost track of time and was now scrambling to get to April's apartment.

The blue-clad turtle was trying his best not to trip on something or smash into a wall while he attempted to get to April's house on time. He held the small blue and black box tightly when ever he jumped a gap between buildings, in fear of dropping (Y/N)'s present. That's the last thing he would want right now...

Or so he thought...

He froze on the spot when he heard a quick shuffling sound. Leo looked around him to see what made the noise, only to see the darkness of the shadows on the rooftops. But he knew someone was there. Reaching behind him, he gripped one of his Katana blades and held it out in front of him. He then heard the sound again, this time he also saw a dark figure flash through the shadows.

"I know you're there. Show yourself." Leo demanded, getting ready to use his katana blade.

"Your weapon won't be necessary Leonardo." A voice said from behind him.

Leo recognized that voice anywhere. That voice gave him horrible vibes every time he heard it. He narrowed his eyes and turned around. As he expected, it was the owner of the voice.

"Karai. What do you want?" Leo snapped, not putting down his katana.

Karai flashed an devilish smirk. "I just have some information for you Leonardo. Hope you're not in a hurry or anything."

"I actually am. I don't have time to deal with you." He turned around and started to walk off.

"I think you'll wanna hear me out here. It's regarding your little ninja friend."

Karai's words made Leonardo freeze. He turned back around to face the kunoichi. "What about her?"

Karai laughed. "Oh so it's a her. I knew it. Only a female ninja could have skills like that. Last time I fought her she displayed Kunoichi aspects."

"You didn't answer my question, Karai. What about her?" Leo's voice rose, he demanded an answer from her.

"My father says she's a huge threat to my clan. She has attacked our mutant members many times. She's destroyed many of our robot ninjas. My father dislikes her, very much. He will make a move soon, he's getting pretty inpatient."

Leonardo's eyes widened. He grew worried for her. What if The Shredder is planning to attack her or maybe even capture her? Will she be safe or not? Will he even be able to protect her?

Karai saw this state of worry in the turtle's eyes. She smiled. "Are you worried about her Leonardo? Do you have feelings for her? How adorable."

Leo grew angry at Karai. He was ready to knock her off the building and onto the roads below.

"She dosen't know what's coming for her. My father will destroy her. She's pathetic. She's weak against him!"

Leonardo pointed his blade at Karai's throat, growling at her. "Don't you ever say that about (Y/N)!"

Karai began laughing, it was dark and sarcastic. "So her name is (Y/N). I expected more from her." She then noticed the little box in Leonardo's hands. It was wrapped in black wrapping paper and tied together with a blue ribbon. In one quick motion, she snatched the present from his hand.

"What is this? Is there some special occasion i'm missing?"

Leo growled at her. "Give it back Karai!"

"Or what? You're going to hurt me? Oh i'm so scared" Her sarcastic voice chimed. "I'll bet you this is for (Y/N). Aww, you do care about her, that's very sweet of you."  
Leonardo swung his foot, which connected with her hand. This knocked the present into the air. The turtle jumped up and grabbed the box. He narrowed his eyes at her, anger streaming through his body. "I've had enough of you. I'm late for something very important." With that, Leonardo walked off, continuing on his way to April's apartment.

Before she left, Karai said one last thing: "Tell her I said Happy Birthday."

Leo couldn't take it anymore. He took off in a run to get to the party. The thoughts of (Y/N) in danger still ran through his mind. He decided to worry about that later, right now he's got a party to attend.

~Meanwhile~

Michelangelo licked his lips as he saw the stacked up pizza boxes on the kitchen table. It was very tempting to eat a piece of it. Just one, while no one's looking. His head darted around, checking to see if the others were around. No one was. Mikey reached out to open one of the boxes, but was quickly stopped by his brother slapping his hand.

"Mikey! No pizza yet! We need to wait till (Y/N) gets here!" Raphael told his brother.

Mikey groaned. "But i'm so hungry..."

"You need to wait Mikey" Raph responded.

The two turned their heads when they heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. April came in accompanied by Donatello. She was holding her phone as it buzzed in her hand. The red head looked worried.

"Guys, we've got a problem. Casey says that he and (Y/N) are five minutes away. And Leo's not even here yet!"

"We've tried calling him but he wouldn't answer!" Donnie added.

"Well, i'm sure he's going to show up soon. He wouldn't miss a party for (Y/N)." Raphael said.

"Yeah, with him liking her so much!" Mikey squealed.

April's eyes widened with excitement. "Wait! Leo likes (Y/N)?!" 

The three turtles looked at her in confusion. They assumed that she knew about it already.

"Really. You didn't know?" Donnie asked.

"Wow April. How could you not know?!" Raph said.

"I honestly had no idea! Are they dating or something?" April was excited at the moment.

Mikey nodded. "Well, they went on one date... that counts right?"

April felt like she was going to start squealing out of control. Why hadn't you told her that you were dating Leo? She was sure going to talk to you about it after the party.


	19. A Gift From Me To You

~Your P.O.V~

A smile crept up on your face as you continued to walk down the street, Casey next to you - who was talking your ears off - on your way over to April's apartment. It wasn't long before you both got there to meet up with her.

April asked if you could swing by her place to show her some of your ninjutsu moves, and maybe help her out since she is still learning for herself to become a Kunoichi. Even though today was supposed to be a relaxing day - with it being your birthday and all - you didn't mind to help her out a bit. 

But Casey insisted that he'd come with you. You didn't mind him tagging along, but sometimes he just doesn't know when to shut up. For most of the walk from your place to April's, you ignored most of what he was talking about; his previous hockey games, what thugs he's ran into lately or what movie he saw last night. But one sentence he said made you snap back to reality...

"So, how's everything going with Leo?"

You instantly felt your face flush into a red colour, you weren't expecting a question like that to pop up! After a short stutter, you managed to find the right words.

"Um...well...we've been hanging out a lot lately. We've trained together and... we went out on a date already..."

You couldn't continue, because Casey interrupted you right there.

"Oh snap! I knew it wouldn't be long before he asked you out!" He exclaimed, as if he wanted to let the whole world know about it.

You blushed and let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah he did..."

"You know, ever since I've figured out that you were the ninja that the turtle never stopped talking about, I have been catching him looking at you sometimes."

Your eyes widened. "Wait what?"

"Oh yeah! Like when we're all hanging out and stuff, I see him staring at you. I was wondering when he was going to ask you out."

Your blush deepened. Leonardo's been staring at you behind your back? Not that you didn't mind or anything but how could you never notice! But since he took you out on that date (which wasn't too long ago) you have noticed him wanting to be around you way more.

As you both rounded the corner, you managed to keep your reddening face under control. April's apartment wasn't far now.

Casey laughed, a thought coming to his mind. "Hey, if Leo didn't ask you out, then I definitely would."

You narrowed your eyes and shoved his shoulder. "Casey!"

"What? I was just kidding, calm down." He replied, throwing his hands up in surrender while stifling a laugh. 

You rolled your eyes in response, when is this boy gonna shut his mouth?

~Back In April's Apartment~

April paced nervously in the living room of her apartment, hating the concept of time at the moment. Everything was ready for (Y/N)'s surprise party, the food, the decorations, the gifts, the movie marathon planned. But one thing was still missing. And that thing was running out of time to arrive.

"Where is Leo? He needs to get here now! (Y/N) and Casey will be here any moment!" Her voice was filled with anxiety.

"April April" Donatello attempted to calm her down. "Leo wouldn't miss this for the world. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"I hope so..." She replied with a sigh.

Raph groaned as he heard Leo's dial tone end and transitioned to message. "He's still not answering his phone! Maybe that means he's on his way?"

Mikey shoved his face to look at Raph's phone, seeing that Leo was unavailable by his T-phone. But he didn't take that for an answer.

"Well call him again! The sooner he gets here, the sooner I can have the pizza!!!!!!!"

Raph pushed Mikey away from him. "Alright fine, I'll call him a again!" He dialled Leo's number one more time, in hope he'd pick up.

~On The Rooftops~

Leonardo felt a buzz and heard his ringtone, but once again he ignored it. The less distractions the better. Right now he had one goal. To get to April's apartment before it was too late.

He briefly looked down at the box he was holding, and it filled him with determination. He wouldn't miss this for the world.

Leo finally made it to the proper street and saw April's apartment. A wave of relief was sent over him. He picked up his running pace.

Then he noticed that the light's were all off. That meant they were about to do the surprise. He immediately began to panic again, rushing as fast as his legs would take him.

He got closer and closer until it was only a jump away. Thankfully the window was open and he jumped into the living area, preformed a roll and ducked behind an arm chair. 

He finally made it!

A glance to his left, and he saw his brother Donnie. He looked relieved himself, yet frustrated.

"It's about time lover boy! Literally!!!"

Leo blushed at the nickname Donnie chose for him, obviously referring to the thing between him and (Y/N). But he didn't get a chance to respond, because there was a knock on the front door.

You rapped at the wooden door, waiting for April to come and open it. But instead you heard her voice from inside call out; "It's open!"

With Casey watching from behind, you opened the door and stepped inside the apartment. The lights were out, making you confused. You felt for the light switch and flicked it on. It revealed the living area which was decorated in party decorations, confusing you even further. But the puzzle put itself together as you watch five familiar faces jump up from behind the furniture.

"SURPRISE!!!"

You squealed in delight and a smile glazed your lips. This is the last thing you'd expect, you thought you were just coming here to train with April. But this is a way better option to spend your birthday; with your six best friends in the whole world.

April ran over to you and tackled you in a hug, you gladly accepting and returning it. "Happy Birthday (Y/N)!"

"You tricked me April!" You joked as you lightly shoved her. "I don't need anything special on my birthday."

"Do you want us to leave?" Raph said sarcastically.

"Heck no!" You replied, making everybody laugh.

You ran around hugging everybody, smiling the entire time. But when you came to Leo, you hugged him the tightest. When you realized this you blushed and quickly pulled back.

"(Y/N) you won't believe this. Leo literally just got here. Just before you came through that door, he jumped through the window. He barley got here." Donnie pointed out.

Leo blushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I lost track of time okay. I'm here now."

Donnie was about to say something else, but you stopped him by putting your hand up in a stop motion. 

"It's okay. Everybody's here and that's all I can ask for."

Mikey jumped up and squealed. "Okay everybody's here. Does that mean it's pizza time?!?!?"

April nodded, "Yes Mike." The orange-clad turtles cheered and ran into the kitchen. 

Everyone else followed him, but as you took a step to join them, you felt a hand on your shoulder. Leo motioned for you to follow him and you nodded. He gently grabbed your hand and lead you over to a hallway where you both were out of ear-shot from everyone else.

"The reason I was late was because I wanted my present for you to be perfect." He pulled out a small blue and black box from behind his back. 

You were flattered. "Leo you didn't have to get me anything."

The mutant shook his head. "I insist. Here" 

He gently placed the box in your hands. Filled with excitement, you unraveled the ribbon and opened the box. You stared in shock at the item inside.

"It's not much, but when I found it I made me think of you. Hope you like it."

You held the gift in your hands. It was a beautiful silver necklace that's chain and charm sparkled in the light. The charm at the end was a small lotus flower with three petals. It was absolutely gorgeous!

You were speechless, but you managed to build up a sentence that made sense. "Leonardo. I love it so much! Thank you!"

Jumping up, you wrapped your arms around his neck into a hug. You felt him hug back by wrapping his strong arms around your waist. Before you pulled back, you planted a small kiss on his cheek to thank him more. This make him blush even more, you couldn't help but think he looked adorable.

"Here, do you mind helping me put it on?" You asked with hopeful eyes.

He smiled and and took the necklace from your hands. You turned yourself around and felt him push your hair to the side. Leo draped the chain around your neck and clasped it into place (his large hands made it a bit difficult, but he managed).

You glanced down at the charm, it's metal glittering in the light. You couldn't hold back the smile from appearing on your (lip colour) lips.

"It's beautiful Leo, thank you so much!"

"No problem (Y/N). Happy birthday."

You felt yourself blushed madly, the heat raising in your cheeks and up your neck. You then bit your lip nervously. This drove Leo crazy. He was blushing himself.

But before either of you could say anything, you heard something from the kitchen. It was a screech. A familiar screech that always meant that something was up.

You and Leo both rolled your eyes, both knowing what Mikey's scream means.

"Raph's after Mikey again." You sighed.

Leo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we better go see what's up." You both rushed over to the kitchen to join the others.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter, enjoyment and excitement. It was the best birthday you ever had, and you didn't want the night to end.


	20. Just Tell Her

Walking back from school with April is always a good time. The both of you would talk together for the entire way until you parted your ways or - if you had the same destination - till you got where ever you were headed. The city sounds would fade into the background as you both enjoyed your time together, not worrying about anything else.

"So, do you have any plans for today?" You asked her once you both crossed the street.

"Yeah, me and my dad are going to see that new movie that just came out. I've been dying to see it since I first saw the trailer for it!" The red head replied with excitement. "What about you? If you aren't busy you can tag along with us."

You shook your head. "Sorry I can't. After I get home to drop off my stuff I'm headed to the turtle lair to train with the guys and Splinter."

This triggered a memory in April's head. Her smile grew wider as she remembered the events from your birthday party from the weekend. How could she forget! She wanted to burst out squealing she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Speaking of The Turtles," She started slyly. "A little birdie told me about you and Leo."

A blush crept up on your face. 'Oh gosh no. How'd she find out? Did the guys tell her? They told her didn't they! Those turtles are so dead! ' As you continued to fight with yourself in your head, your blush deepened.

"So is it true or not? Are you and Leo dating?" She asked eagerly.

You hesitated. "Y-Yeah we are..."

Her smile grew wider. "Yes!!"

"Who told you?" You demanded.

"Donnie, Raph and Mikey told me during the party."

"I'm gonna kill those three..." You mumbled under your breath.

April laughed. "Why? It's not like you need to keep it a secret or anything. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Her voice went from hyper and energetic to calm and heartwarming.

You sighed. "I was afraid that you would see it as a negative thing. I thought if I told you that I liked Leonardo...you'd think it would be weird...and maybe even ruin our friendship..."

Her eyes softened along with her expression. "(Y/N), no, I would never think that. I'm your friend and I would never judge you. I think that the fact that your dating someone, even someone who's not exactly human, is a great thing. You shouldn't jump to conclusions like that."

This is why you loved April. You could always count on her to cheer you up in a heartbeat.

"Thanks April. I guess I was just scared..."

She placed a hand on your shoulder as you both kept walking through the streets and continued the conversation. "There's no reason to be scared." She paused. "Also, I think you made a good choice. Leo's a great guy."

You nodded. "Yeah. He might not be human, but he's got a big enough heart for me."

April let out an 'Aww' which triggered your blush even more. You've known April for a long time and you know that when she starts fangirling over an OTP, she won't stop for a while. Since its involving you, it's going to go on for a long time...

"You guys are perfect for each other! How could I have not seen it before! Tell me everything, absolutely everything!"

You rolled your eyes at your friends. "All right then."

She let out a squeal of happiness and listened to you tell your story from the very beginning.

~Meanwhile~

Leonardo nervously peered through the door to the dojo, not wanting to make even the slightest noise. He saw Master Splinter sitting down on the middle mat, peacefully meditating. The blue-masked turtle didn't want to disturb him at all, but something was on his mind. Gathering up his courage, he cleared his throat.

"Master Splinter, very sorry for the interruption...but...can I talk to you? It's kinda urgent..."

The mutant rat's ears perked up at the sound of his son's voice and he became interested. "If it's important then I would like to hear it."

Leo stepped into the dojo and sat in front of Splinter. He was hesitant to mention this to anyone, especially Master Splinter. He didn't know if telling anyone would help his problem.

"Sensei, before (Y/N)'s birthday party on the weekend, I ran into Karai. She told me that The Shredder is trying to find out who (Y/N) is and that he's going after her. Now I don't know if Karai was telling the truth or not...but it think she was... I don't know if I should tell (Y/N) or not..."

Splinter let out a grunt in understanding. "Karai has lied to you before, what makes you so sure that she is telling you the truth now?"

Leo shook his head. "I don't know. But I can just feel that it's true. I can feel that (Y/N) is in danger. I can feel that she's in extreme danger."

He paused as he let out a sigh.

"Sensei...(Y/N) is really important. She's possibly the last member of The Lotus Clan; one of the most powerful Ninjutsu forces to ever exist. She's important to us...she's important to me."

Master Splinter put one of his hands on Leo's shoulder. "Leonardo, I know how you feel about (Y/N). She is special to you."

Leo smiled up at him and nodded. "She's very special to me Sensei."

"If (Y/N) is in any danger, then you should bring it to her attention."

"But...I don't want to scare her or anything..."

"Leonardo! It sounds like you are the one who is scared. Fear is a powerful emotion, and you must face it. If you tell her, then I'm sure everything will be alright."

Leo sighed again. "I just don't want to lose her Master Splinter..."

"Don't worry my son. She is a very powerful Kunoichi and she's a strong girl. I'm sure she won't be too afraid. And if Shredder is after (Y/N), he is going to have to deal with us."

The gears turned in Leonardo's head and he smiled. Since you're coming over after your done school, he'd tell you then.

He bowed his head to Master Splinter. "Thank you Sensei."

"You are very welcome my son."

As the eldest turtle brother got up to leave, Splinter stopped him one more time...

"Oh, Leonardo. I've been told that you and (Y/N) went out on a date. Is this true?"

"Yes..." Leo replied nervously.

Master Splinter smirked. "Did you kiss her?"

Leo blushed madly. "Sensei!"

This made the rat mutant let out a chuckle.


	21. Blindfolded

You were confused at the darkness before you. Growing very unsure of this technique, you pushed the urge to not question it out of the way.

"Sensei, with all respect, are you sure this is a good idea?"

You heard him laugh slightly, which made you even more nervous. "Yes it is (Y/N), this is a special training designed for you."

Standing in the middle of the dojo with a blindfold on in front of everybody wasn't exactly what you expected for today's training. 

"Sensei, if she's blindfolded then how is she supposed to see?" You heard Michelangelo ask from where him and his brothers were sitting off to the side.

"That is the point." Splinter replied, making you swallow the limp in your throat. "The idea of this exercise is for (Y/N) to not use her eyes, but to use something that is taught in The Lotus Clan."

You played around with the thought in your head, you don't recall anything that required a blindfold being taught to you.

Master Splinter continued to explain; "All warriors of The Lotus Clan are believed to pick up a technique during their training. It is used in places were the eyes are not an option, like in dark areas or if they been blindfolded. It gives them eyes to know where everything is, even in the most trouble of times."

"So it's like a sixth sense?" You asked.

"Exactly" You heard Splinter reply.

"Ah ha!" Donnie's voice rang out. "It's like that lesson you taught me about fighting without thinking."

"Yes, it is like that Donatello. And because of that, I want you to assist us up here." Master Splinter instructed.

Donnie got up and stood about two meters away from you. You could feel his presents, even though you could only see the blackness of your blindfold.

"Donatello, I want you to attack (Y/N). Try not to make any noise." Splinter said.

"Um...okay..." He replied. Donnie was a bit hesitant to do so, he didn't want to hurt you at all.

"(Y/N) be ready. Make a move when you feel is right." Splinter's voice instructed. You got into a fight stance, now feeling a bit uneasy.

Off to the side of the dojo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo crooked their heads to the side. Their eyes were clouded with symbols of worry and confusion. The three of them had just as many questions as anyone else in the room, but they all decided to keep their mouths shut. They just hoped for the best.

The room filled with silence, all attention stuck on the blindfolded Kunoichi. You tried your best to concentrate, attempting to clear your clouded mind. With a couple more deep breaths you fell into a deep state of mind...

and you felt like you could see everything...

You never thought you could experience this before, and the feeling of this new ability was unbelievable. Everyone in the room could be seen, all the moment around you could be sensed, and you felt empowered.

Donatello finally struck, swinging his staff in a sweeping motion. You knew it was coming and you preformed a jump to dodge it. He then angled the staff to strike you at your side, but you moved just before the wooden weapon even grazed your clothing. 

This went on, Donnie sending multiple attacks your way and you dodging every single one. The blindfold had no effect on your performance, only that you were losing contact with your special ability. Everything clouded for a few seconds, and you felt the staff connect with your side. The blow sent you stumbling backwards and then another swing sent you to the ground.

You groaned as you slammed into the floor. The almost 'infrared vision' you just experienced was gone, replaced with a head-splitting headache. 

You rose up from the dojo floor and ripped off the blindfold. Donatello was standing beside you, a worried yet astonished look in his face. His three brothers shared the same looks, mouths agape and shock decorated features. Master Splinter just smiled and nodded, he looked pleased.

"Well done (Y/N). You had it for a few seconds. But this ability will take time to perfect. Keep training and you'll master this art. It is only available to ninja's who are trained from The Lotus Clan, so you should use it to your advantage." That's all he said before he left into his room.

You smiled, you actually did it! This was something definitely worth working on. If you can get this 'special power' down, then it would be a great advantage in a lot of fights. Maybe you really are a Lotus?

~Time Skip~

After the special training session, you and the turtles decided to celebrate by ordering a few pizzas and battling it out in some video games. The topic of your blindfold skill was stuck lingering in the air, it coming back up all the time. Honestly, you didn't know how you did it, it lasted for such a short time.

"I still don't understand how it was possible. I mean you were completely blindfolded and you saw every single one of Donnie's strikes!" Raphael said, taking another piece of pizza from an open box.

"I swear you cheated (Y/N), did the blindfold have holes?" Mikey asked with suspicion.

You crooked up an eyebrow at him. "You seriously think that I cheated? Come on Mikey!"

"He has a point, you can be very sneaky (Y/N)..." Leonardo commented, a smirk curving at the edge of his mouth.

You narrowed your eyes at him and lightly shoved his shoulder. "Oh shut up Leo! I'm being completely honest with you guys, I literally felt some type energy flow through me. It was so weird. And I only felt it for like seven seconds."

"How did it feel? How could you see like that?" Donnie asked.

"It was so weird... it was almost like one of those infrared cameras, like the ones that can detect heat and stuff like that. I don't know how I did it..." You were completely stumped.

"You'll figure it out (Y/N), don't worry." Leonardo said with a smile, which made you smile yourself.

As you watched Raphael and Donatello race each other in a new round of Mario Kart, you grew thirsty and you decided that a mug of hot tea sounded amazing. You stood up and got ready to walk to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go make some tea, does anyone want some?"

Mikey instantly perked up to this, "Oh! Me please!" as well as Donnie and Raph nodded to the idea.

"Here, I'll give you a hand." Leonardo stood up to help you in the kitchen, which made you smile. It was very kind of him to offer. The two of you walked into the kitchen to get tea for everyone.

While Leo worked on filling up the tea kettle to put on the stove, you grabbed five mugs and corresponding teabags. The two of you waited around for the water to boil.

Leo wanted to start a conversation with you, so he brought up the fact that ever since your birthday party you've been wearing the necklace that he gave you.

"I still see your wear the necklace. I don't think I've seen you with it off yet." He said, leaning on the counter just beside the stove.

"Yeah, I've been wearing it a lot. I've actually got several complements on it at school. I just love it so much. Thank you again for giving it to me." You replied, leaning on the island facing him.

He blushed a bright red. "It was nothing really."

You held back a chuckle and couldn't help but flash a small smile. You really did love the lotus necklace. But you wiped it off your face when Leo's turned a little serious for a bit.

"(Y/N), there's something I actually want to mention to you. Now I don't mean to scare you or anything, I just think I should bring it to your attention."

"Sure Leo, what's up?"

"Well, back at your birthday party, when I was running late, I ran into Karai..."

The mention of that name made you mad and nervous at the same time.

"She stopped me and told me something. That The Shredder and his mutants are looking for you. She said that you were getting in their way a lot and that his mutants are doing all they can to find out who you are."

You did interfere with those mutants a lot. They were usually 'fighting on the side' missions, but they still didn't know who you were. 

"Like I said, I don't mean to scare you or anything. I just want you to know about it, incase anything goes wrong. I don't want you getting hurt."

It was really sweet of him to say that he didn't want you to get hurt. And you're happy he told you this.

"Thank you for telling me Leo, I'm gonna have to be carful with keeping my identity a secret from them. I appreciate that your telling me this."

At this point, the water was ready for the tea, so you both put together the five mugs. 

Leo also tried to casually mention something else...

"Um, also. One of our friends owns a Japanese restaurant in the city... and I wanted to know if you wanted to...you know... get dinner there tomorrow night? Just the two of us."

You smirked, he's asking you out on another date. "Absolutely, that sounds great."


	22. Dinner For Two

A scream erupted in the turtle lair. Michelangelo ran from Raphael, the pair in a game of chase around the main room. A fight had broken out between the two over who had eaten Raph's last piece of pizza from last night. Meanwhile Donnie was sitting down on a beanbag trying not to laugh at his two brothers. This chase just might turn into a painful one...

"Mikey!! Get over here!" Raph yelled

"Noooooo!!!!" Mikey screamed.

This was going on for quite a while...

But then Leonardo walked out of the dojo from a meditation session. He noticed his two younger brothers chasing each other. He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "Not again..."

Mikey ran up behind Leo and took cover from Raph. "Leo help me!"

Raph attempted to grab Mikey from behind his cover, but Leo stuck out his hand to stop him. "Cut it out Raph, take it easy okay."

The red clad turtle took a breath, but he was still angered. "Could you at least pick up a pizza when you come back?"

Leo nodded then headed to the exit of the lair.

"Wait! Where you going Leo?" Mikey asked, sounding sad.

"I'm going out." Was all he said.

"He's going to take (Y/N) out to Mr. Murakami's place." Donnie answered.

"Oh yay!" Mikey cheered. "Don't for get that pizza when you come back!"

Leo chucked, "Alright then."

"And your not going to eat the entire thing Mikey!" Raph shouted.

"No promises!" Mikey responded.

~Out On The New York Streets~

You looked at the building in front of you, still kinda confused about how Leo would know a place like this. It was a Japanese restaurant. The name looked inviting, and you had a good feeling about it. But still, you had to ask Leo about it.

"Just one question" You said. "How do you know someone who owns a restaurant?"

"April introduced us to the owner. Plus we also saved him from an attack from The Purple Dragons." He replied.

"But he didn't freak out or anything? Because, you know, mutants?"

"No, there's something special about Mr. Murakami. You'll see"

You've had enough surprises lately, probably best to go in with confidence. Maybe Mr. Murakami is a mutant too?

The two of you entered the restaurant. It was empty, strange for a time like this; dinner time is usually busy for restaurants. The restaurant had Japanese style decorations on the walls and on the tables, which made you feel welcome. The kitchen was in the middle of the room, with seats on the outside. It looked like one of those places where the chef cooks in front of you.

"Mr. Murakami! It's me Leonardo." Leo called out, you assumed that he was looking for the owner.

From the back of the restaurant, an old man came out from a room. He had a pair of large circle glasses over his eyes and he was dressed in chefs attire. This must be Mr. Murakami, the owner.

"Leonardo, lovely to have you come by. Is it just you here?" The old man said.

Wait, just you? Can't he see that you're in the room as well?

"I brought someone with me. Mr Murakami, this is (Y/N)." Leo introduced you to him.

"Pleasure to meet you sir." You added, doing you best to be a polite guest.

"Splendid! The pleasure is all mine Miss (YN)!" He stuck out his hand for you to shake, and you gladly took it.

Leonardo leaned in to whisper something to you, close enough so that only you could hear him. "The thing is, Mr, Murakami is blind."

Well that makes sense now, you told yourself in your head.

"Why don't you two have a seat, and I'll prepare a meal for you two. Would you like your usual Leonardo?"

"That would be great!" He replied.

You sat down next to Leo on a table on the outside of the kitchen area. Mr. Murakami was already starting to make something, which confused you.

"Leo, if he's blind how is he able to cook us anything?"

"Just let him do his thing. Honestly I have no idea how he does it either."

You let out a laugh. This night might have not turned out what you pictured it to be, but it will be alright.

While you and Leonardo talked a bit, Mr. Murakami prepared a Japanese style dinner for you both. Even without the food not being ready yet, you were having fun talking to Leo in the meantime. Whenever you talked to him it was an adventure in it's self.

Mr. Murakami brought over an appetizer dish first, one that looked kinda odd. You've never seen anything like it. It looked like a plate of dumplings, but it smelt like...pizza?

"Leonardo, I know that this is your favourite as well as your brother's. So I thought that Ms (Y/N) might enjoy it too."

"Thanks Mr. Murakami!" 

It looked like dumplings but it smelt like pizza. What kind of weird magic is this? You wanted to try it, but you also didn't.

Leo saw that confused look on your face and stifled a laugh. "It's called pizza gyoza. I know it sounds weird but it's not." Talking his chopsticks, Leo picked one up and popped one in his mouth. He smiled in content as he ate it.

If Leonardo says it's good, it must be. You took your own pair of chopsticks and picked up one for yourself. Lifting it up to your mouth, you took a bite of it. The flavour of pizza exploded in your mouth, it was amazing! How could combining two different foods into one be so good?

"Okay, that is amazing!" You exclaimed, after finishing the last of your gyoza.

"What did I tell ya." Leo said, looking proud.

~TimeSkip~

The meal you and Leo had shared was delicious. You'd probably consider going back to that restaurant yourself another time. 

You and Leo decided to walk along the roof tops together, just to enjoy the rest of the night. The cool breeze of the city was calming, and the view was gorgeous as always.

You looked over the edge of a building, seeing the large city and its bright lights in the distance. Taking a deep breath, you took in the fresh air and let out all your stress. 

"I just love it here." You said. "My entire life has been different since I've moved here. At first I thought that it would be terrible, leaving everything else behind..." 

Don't bring those memories back...of what happened...

"But ever since I met you and your bothers, I've been dragged into a new world. A new life even."

"Well I'm glad your happy with it. Me and my brothers used to not be allowed to come up to the surface. But now that we can, it's changed our lives too." Leo added.

You both exchanged smiles.

"And thanks for dinner tonight. I never thought that you could put pizza in a dumpling." You joked.

Leo laughed, "No problem, it was nothing really."

A set of voices interrupted the two of you. You both looked down into an alley way, and saw a group of Krang droids. 

"Looks like we got ourselves some trouble." Leo took out his Katana blades. "Care to join me?"

The corner of your mouth rose up, and you took out your (WoC). "You don't even have to ask."

You jumped down off the building, letting out a "WooHoo!" in excitement. Leo followed you, yelling out himself.

Meanwhile... off in the distance, someone was watching you both. The figure was hiding itself in the shadows, unseen by the pair of ninjas. Once it's targets we're out of sight, it had fled.


	23. Backup

Deep breath in, slow breath out. Nothing is more peaceful then a meditation session after a long stressful day at school. It was already night time, and being locked in your room couldn't have felt any better. Meditation was an important part of your training, as well as keeping you sane overall. You needed it after an intense day of studying and note-talking. A smile spread across your face as you were in your deep trance...

Tap tap....

Your (e/c) eyes shot open at the sudden sound. Head swishing to the side to face the direction where the light tapping came from, you looked to your window. There wasn't any more tapping. Well what a way to break your concentration. Closing your eyes again, you tried to go back into your relaxed mental state.

Bang bang bang!

You growled under your breath, there was definitely someone out there. The last thing you wanted was someone to interrupt you. You stood up and walked over to your window. Pushing the curtains back, you saw that last persons you'd expect to see.

"Casey?"

There he was, standing outside the glass on the fire escape. He looked like he was roughed up, possibly got in a fight on the street again. What does he want? It's like eleven o'clock at night! You quickly opened the window.

"What are you doing here?" You asked.

"I need a favour." 

Casey climbed through the window, losing his balance and falling onto your bedroom floor. His hockey stick and baseball bat scattered on the ground, causing you to rush over to pick them up.

"A favour? What do you need?." You said, handing him his sports gear.

"Okay so, I kinda got into a fight on the streets..."

You raised an eyebrow, that's not unusual for Casey. "And?"

"These guys didn't look so tough, so I thought I could take them on myself. But they were stronger then they looked, and they beat me up. I want you to show them not to mess with Casey Jones!"

You rolled your eyes, "So...you want me to beat them up?"

"Yes! You could use your totally awesome Kunoichi skills and send them running!"

"Why would I want to do that, they beat you up and you came crawling to me? Why didn't you ask the turtles?"

"Cause I know that they'll say no. Leo will be like 'revenge isn't the answer' and then those guys will get away!"

"It's true though, revenge isn't everything Casey. Also Ninjutsu is an ancient Japanese fighting art that is NOT meant to beat people up for not reason."

"Come on (Y/N)! Don't you want a chance to use your Ninjutsu? I mean it's good training!"

You paused, there were pros and cons to actually accepting Casey's request. And a you could always use a training session when you need it. And you can always use a session. Maybe you could use a little training today...

"Alright, but you owe me."

Casey jumped up in excitement and pumped his fist in the air, "YES! And one other thing...can you not tell everyone else about this...it might make me sound weak..."

"Don't worry, I've got your back Jones."

~TimeSkip~

You and Casey peered down off the building, looking into the dark alley way. You spotted a group of men, decked out in black leather. They didn't look so tough, but then again that's what got Casey beat up last time. You don't wanna make any stupid mistakes like he always does. You were going to have to be careful with this one.

"So these are the guys?" You asked, turning to Casey.

"Yeah, now go down there and kick their butts! What are you going to do? Are you going to punch and kick the heck out of them with a bunch of flips and stuff?!"

You narrowed your eyes in annoyance. Casey is that type of person to enjoy action and fights like this, but he can be a little over the top sometimes.

"Casey..."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

You let out a chuckle. Usually you don't get the chance to do that.

"Just stay up here, I'll deal with them."

Tightening your mask and grabbing your (WoC), you jumped down into the alley. 

You landed in front of the gang, which consisted of four different members. Your sudden appearance startled them and made them look in your direction. You made sure to flash your weapon(s), to show them that you weren't fooling around. Your black outfit also symbolized that you weren't one to be messed with.

"Hey! I was told that you've been messing with one of my friends!" You said, voice stern and strong.

One of the gang members - which you assumed was the leader - stepped forwards. He obviously recognized that you were female, from your voice. Also your Lotus necklace might have been a hint as well. He had a look on his face that would have sent a coward running. 

But you were no coward. Not ever.

"That scrawny hockey boy? He goes running and sends a girl to fight for him! What a stupid strategy."

You raised your (WoC) and got into a fighting stance, ready to defend yourself if he ever attacked first. "What's wrong with a female fighter?"

You really think you can go up against us?" He replied, the other members cheering him on.

He was getting closer to you, triggering your instincts to strike first. 

With a swish of your leg, you preformed a sweep move. This sent him down to the ground, but he quickly got back up. The other members looked angry, coming forwards looking for a fight. The leader stopped them, "She's mine."

He came back towards you, now he had drawn a knife from his belt. This made you more alert, and made you grip your weapon(s) in your hand(s) tighter.

The gang leader swung his blade at you, which you deflected with your (WoC). He did his best efforts to try and stab you wherever he could, but you kept deflecting and dodging his attacks. 

You changed it up a bit by sending a butterfly kick his way, nailing him in the jaw. This only seemed to make him even more angry. In return, he swung his knife harder this time. His weapon connected with your own, you're strengths battling it out. But he was more muscular then you, so you lost control for one split second. In this one important second, your (WoC) slipped from your hands slightly. This caused him to gain an advantage, letting his knife past your weapon(s). The thin sharp edge of his knife slid onto your face, splitting a light gash on the flesh of your cheek.

You stumbled back, feeling the warmth of blood lightly drip down your cheek. This sent you over the limit, it was time to end this!

You placed your weapons(s) back onto your belt, and raised your hands. In a quick flash, you managed to grab his blade, and grip it in your own hand. Throwing a few strong blows of kicks and punches his way, he collapsed against the brick wall of a building. To finish it all off, you threw the blade.The blade nicked the wall, right beside his head. 

You win.

You stood there for a few seconds. Impressed by your own performance, you then turned to the other three members of the gang. Preforming a Japanese style bow, you smirked in victory.

"Gentleman, who's next?"

All four members scrambled to get out and anyway from you, stumbling as they ran out of the alley way. You smiled to yourself, feeling accomplished for your powerful performance.

Casey came down from the rooftops with a huge smile across his face. "(Y/N), that was wicked! You totally owned those guys! I knew I could count on you to send them running!"

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome." You had to admit it, you haven't really been in a brawl in about a week or so. You forgot how good it feels.

Casey then looked at the cut you had gotten from the blade. It was still bleeding, slightly smeared by you touching it earlier. "That cut looks pretty bad, you okay?"

"No I'm fine, it's nothing. I've had worse actually..."

"Really? Do you cut yourself that often?" It sounded like Casey was joking, and he was. 

But the joke wasn't funny in your eyes...

A sudden thud made you and Casey snap your heads in the direction it came from. Someone had jumped off the rooftops and into the alley way. You were ready to draw your weapon(s) once again, but stoped once you saw who it was.

"That was pretty awesome, considering you had a major size disadvantage." Leonardo said, coming out of the shadows.

You raised an eyebrow, "Size had nothing to do with it, I still won."

"You saw the whole thing Leo? Dude we didn't even notice you were here." Casey exclaimed.

"I'm a ninja Casey, we've talked about this before." Leo responded.

"Exactly." You added, backing Leo up. "Us ninjas could disappear in a matter of seconds and you wouldn't even notice."

"Wouldn't count on it! Nothing slips past Casey Jones!"

You and Leo exchanged a look, the corners of your mouths raising in mischievous smirks.

"What's that!" Leo pointed towards the street, causing Casey to look in that direction. You knew what Leo was setting up here.

Casey turned back once he found nothing out on the street, only to find that you and Leonardo were gone. 

"Ha ha, very funny guys."

"Boo!!!" You and Leo had snuck up behind Casey and suddenly yelled out at him. 

"Ahhh!!!" He jumped, letting out a screech.

You and Leonardo burst out into laughter, while Casey grew rather frustrated.

"It's not funny! Don't do that!"

"Okay okay sorry." You apologized, still slightly giggling at Casey's reaction.

"You're just so easy to scare." Leo added.

Casey looked frustrated, but it quickly cleared up. "Anyways, what are you doing out here?" Casey asked Leo.

"Out on patrol. Me and my brothers decided to split up. Also I was getting tired of Mikey complaining about how hungry he was..."

You couldn't help but laugh at that, making Leo look at you. Then his smile disappeared. He must have payed attention to the cut on your face.

"You alright (Y/N)? That cut looks painful..."

You touched your face, feeling the blood still there. Looking on your hand, it was on there. It didn't stop bleeding. It was a small cut, you'll take care of it later.

"I think I'll be fine...don't worry."

Leo couldn't stand seeing you hurt, in any way. But he wanted to respect your boundaries at the moment.

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone rang out. It was Leo's. The blue-clad turtle pulled out his Tphone and looked at the screen. "It's Raph." He pressed the accept call button and put it on speaker so you and Casey could hear him.

"Raph, what's up?"

"I just spotted at group of Krang bots in an old warehouse. And I mean a LOT of Krang bots! I'm gonna need back up, like now! Donnie and Mikey are already on their way."

"Alright. I ran into (Y/N) and Casey, I'll bring them with me. Text us the address. We're on our way."

"Good, hurry!" Raph said, sounding worried.

Leo hung up the call and looked at you and Casey. "Who's in the mood for a Krang battle?"

"I know I am!" Casey shouted.

You smiled. "I'm in!"

Leonardo took leader position, gesturing for your team of three to head up to the rooftops. All three of you were headed to the warehouse, ready for some action!


	24. Envy In Blue

The streets on this side of the city were pretty empty, helping cover the small team of three in the shadows. Leonardo took the lead - as always - guiding you and Casey during the second half of a patrol night. After the large fight at the warehouse earlier, the team decided to split up once more to cover more ground. Leo's team (consisting of you and Casey) would take the south end of the city. While Raph's team (consisting of Mikey and Donnie) would take the north end. 

The three of you peered over the edge of a building and jumped down into a dark alleyway. You and Leonardo made soft and quiet landings, while Casey make a huge racket. He crashed onto the ground, knocking over several metal garbage cans in the process. This made you cringe and you couldn't feel more annoyed. Casey is not the sneaky type...

"Casey, can you stop with the noise!" You half whispered, half yelled at him. "You're gonna blow our cover!"

"Yeah Casey". Leo added, in the same hushed yelling tone as you. "You could at least try to blend in and not make the ENTIRE Big Apple hear you!"

Casey straightened himself out and gripped his hockey stick. "Sorry guys, but I'm not as stealthy as you two."

You slapped your forehead in annoyance. "Why did we bring him with us?" You asked, turning to your leader.

"I have no idea myself." Leo answered, he couldn't hold in his laugh.

You laughed with him, catching a glimpse of Casey pouting at you both.

"Alright! I'll try to be quiet!" Casey belted out, a little to loudly. You and Leo shushed him again before the team moved on.

The group came up to a more busy street, little shops and people scattered everywhere. You all had to retreat to the rooftops again. You now had a better view of the place. Your eyes peered from behind your mask, searching for anything strange.

"Looks like this area is clear..." Casey said, easing up from his sneakiness.

Then you spotted something.

"Wait!" You exclaimed, pointing towards the thing that seemed out of place. Leo and Casey looked harder.

You pointed towards a group of teens. All boys, hanging out casually. Casey didn't pick up what was off about them, but Leo looked harder in hope that he'd see what you have seen. And he did.

"That one! His backpack." Leo finally concluded. In one of the kids backpack's it was glowing. Glowing green. And a familiar shaped canister was poking out of the top.

"Mutagen!" You confirmed.

Casey finally saw it, and grew confused, "What is a can of ooz doing in some kid's backpack?" 

"Guess it's our job to find out. Follow me." Leo lead the way to become closer to the group, you and Casey tailing behind.

The team of three looked down at the group of teenage boys. They didn't look like they were causing any trouble at all, they were just regular rowdy teens. So why would one have a can of mutagen in their backpack? 

"Okay Leo, what do we do? What's the plan?" You asked, tightening your mask around your eyes.

"If we can get that mutagen, Donnie might be able to use it in some way." He responded. 

"Mutagen is hard to come by now, with the Krang trying to gather it all up now." Casey added.

"Right!" Leo continued. "Now, we need to get it without being seen...we're gonna need a distraction some how..."

Distraction. An idea instantly popped into your head, a Kunoichi was the master of distractions. Not just a Kunoichi, but a female...

"You need a distraction, I'll give you guys a distraction." You pulled the boys closer to you so you could whisper your plan. "I'm going to create your distraction, just give me three minutes tops. While I have them distracted, Leo goes in to steal the canister and we got our mutagen."

"Wait! What do I do?" Casey said, again a bit too loud. 

"We can't have a repeat of last time, you needed me to save your butt from a gang of freaks!" You glared at him.

Leo and Casey stayed behind while you put your distraction plan into action. You jumped off the building and onto the street. Stripping off your mask and your gloves, you looked around for the store you were looking for. A clothing shop. Hiding your (WoC) behind your black jacket, you dashed off into the shop. You spotted just what you needed, a plaid mini skirt and a white dress top. You grabbed them both and headed for the dressing rooms.

After paying the cashier for the new clothes, you walked out of the shop and hid your ninja clothes and weapon(s) behind a few trash cans in a close by alleyway. In your new outfit, you strut down the sidewalk towards the group of boys.

Good old female subduction skills. You never tried it yourself, but you always seen it in the movies. It looked kinda fun too, so you jumped at the chance to do so. The skirt was a bit short, but it didn't show too much. Your Kunoichi boots surprisingly went well with the outfit. For good measure, you tied up the bottom of your dress shirt. 

On the way, you snatched up a pile of books that were laying on the sidewalk. You'd use those as part of the plan. You were ready for action. Just one more thing. 

Before you got to the alley the boys were by, you tugged at the hair tie on your head. Your hair released from its ponytail and you shook out your hair to fluff it up a bit.

~Meanwhile~

"Where did she go? I literally just saw her!" Casey whispered to Leo. They had lost sight of you. 

"Maybe she went into one of the shops or something..." Leo said, he was looking around all concentrated. It seemed like you just had disappeared!

Then he spotted you and...holy sewer apples...

He saw your obvious outfit change, and he couldn't look away. Leo had never seen you in an outfit like that before, and he liked it. You could say he was shell shocked. The turtle watched you walk down the street, snatching up the books and shaking out your hair. His face grew hot, a blush creeping up from his neck to his cheeks.

Casey noticed that Leo had gone quiet, and looked in his direction. He saw him staring and followed his eyes to the Kunoichi on the street. 

Casey whistled, "Wow! (Y/N) cleans up fast huh? Lucky you Leo. Haha!" He said this in a teasing tone. "You can't look away can you? Hey, are you drooling?" The boy burst into laughter.

Leonardo's blush deepened, "Casey shut up... if she has changed clothes...it's obvious that she did it for the mission..." He was stuttering because he was distracted by your clothes.

Casey shrugged, "What ever you say leader, hehe."

~ Back To You ~ 

You were coming close to the group, and you made sure to put on a cute face. 

Show time!

Turning the corner, you made sure to crash right into the first of the guys. You let out a "ahh!" and purposely dropped the books in your hands, them scattering all over the ground. You looked up and saw the face of who you crashed into. The boy was taller then you and he looked mad. But his expression softened when he looked at you.

You've got him right where you want him.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! I was in such a rush I wasn't thinking!" You sputtered out, acting to the best of your abilities.

The boy looked at his two friends then back at you. "It's alright, don't worry about it." He reached down and picked up your books and handed them to you.

"Thank you, again I'm really sorry for running into you. I gotta go." You took a step away, then you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"Woah there. What's the rush? Why don't you hang out with us for a while?"

You acted like you were thinking, looking up at the three boys nodding their heads.

"Okay, it guess I've got some time..."

~ Now To Leonardo ~

Leo gritted his teeth together, now disapproving of your plan. He said distraction, not attraction! The blue clad turtle watched as the boys flirted with you, you flirting right back. He knew you were acting, but still he didn't like it.

He felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. It was Casey, "This is your chance to get the mutagen! Go!"

Leo snapped out of his gaze and went into action. He proceeded to climb down the side of the building, slowly as he possibly could. He listened into the conversation as he was creeping up on the boy with the backpack, who was in the back and this made it easy to attempt to steal the canister.

"So, what's your name cutie?" One of the guys asked, making Leo's blood boil. He should be the one calling you cutie!

"I'm (Y/N). And you guys are..."

All the boys introduced themselves, but Leo wasn't listening at all. He couldn't care less about their names. It took a lot to not bash their heads in. But Leo had to focus at the moment. He needed to get the mutagen quickly.

As you kept the guys distracted, Leo slowly and carefully lowered down the side of the building. He accidentally scuffed his feet a bit, paused, then continued to climb down. He couldn't risk being seen. The turtle was getting closer to his target. 

Leo looked up and make eye contact with you, nodding that everything was going according to plan so far. You didn't respond, fearing that the boys would look back and see the Mutant behind them.

Then your heart sank to your stomach. You spotted Casey following Leo. You were pretty sure that you told him to stay on the rooftops! Jones was going to get told off later...

"I like your necklace." The boy with the backpack said. He meant the lotus necklace Leonardo had gotten you for your birthday. Despite the disaster about to happen because of Casey, you attempted to keep your cool.

"Thank you...it was a gift..." You were hesitant to say any words, your eyes were still glued on Casey.

While that was going on in your head, Leo felt a presence behind him. By the time he looked back it was too late. Casey had not only followed Leonardo, but he (being Casey) had tripped on his own feet and fell. The hockey player took the turtle down with him, both landing on the pavement in a pile. Their weapons clanged on the ground, metal with metal and wood on wood.

You groaned once you saw this happen, watching the boys turn around at the sounds. They saw Leo and Casey, startled by the sudden interruption and scared from the unknown creature one of them was.

"Way to go Casey..."You moaned with sarcasm. 

"I slipped! I swear, these damn fire escapes man!!" He squawked back, picking up his hockey stick and baseball bat.

The boys stood there, watching the two intruders. Leo felt them staring at him specifically, their glares almost as sharp as his Katanas. He finally spoke, "Look, we just need something. Then we'll leave."

"You, backpack. We need that canister." You added to Leo's statement, changed tone from innocence to seriousness. 

The one with the backpack narrowed his eyes,"What's it to ya?"

"That container contains a dangerous substance. Where did you find it?" You spat back at him, throwing the stack of books behind you and the pages scattering everywhere.

"We found it by the docks, and what makes you think we're gonna give it to you?" One other said.

Leo picked up his katana blades from the ground and held them firmly in his hands. "We don't mean to hurt you, but we will if we want to...."

There was a pause, given to let the boys make a decision. They were shocked when they realized that you were just a distraction and that you didn't mean anything that you had said previously. But they were also shocked from the mutant turtle and masked hockey boy. The three exchanged looks, and the one with the backpack took the mutagen and handed it to you.

"Good choice. Now you say nothing about this, or it might get dangerous." Your voice was somewhat cold, to show your bravery.

They than left, a hint of fear in their walks. You held back a laugh as you handed the canister to Leonardo. "That was easier than I thought it would be. So much for my distraction."

Casey laughed while Leo chuckled nervously, he was still blushing at the sight of you in that skirt. But he snapped himself out of it. "We should take this back to the lair, the others should be back there by now."

Casey gestured towards a ladder going up to the rooftops. "Ladies first."

You held back the strong need to slap him. "No way! I'm wearing a skirt! Eyes front boys." 

The two went first, you following them. After grabbing your Kunoichi clothes and weapon(s), you all headed back to the lair.

~At The Turtle Lair~

Donnie, Raph and Mikey were already back from patrol when your team returned to the lair. They were happy to see that you were holding a can of mutagen.

"Great! This will help a lot. Thanks guys, but how did you get it and where did you find it?" Donnie asked as he took the glowing substance.

"It's a long story." Was all that Leo said.

"What's with the outfit?" Raph then asked, like it was the more obvious question. It kinda was actually.

"It's a long story as well..." You replied, holding your black clothes and (WoC) folded together.

"Well, not gonna lie. It looks nice on you." Donnie said politely.

"Yeah! It's different, I like it!" Mikey agreed while Raph nodded.

You blushed, "T-Thanks guys." 

Checking the time on your phone, you decided it was about time to leave to head home. You said your goodbyes to the team and left.

But while walking through the sewers, you heard large footsteps running after you. 

"(Y/N)! Wait!!" 

You stopped walking and turned around. There was Leo. He came to a stop, slightly out of breath from running. The turtle stood up straight and cleared his throat.

"I just wanted to say...that you look nice in that outfit...I never got the chance to..." He said this shyly.

Blushing became something of the norm while you're with Leo, and now was no exception. You're definitely keeping this outfit for the future.

You laughed, "Thanks, but you didn't have to run out here to say so. I can kinda see it in your face."

Leonardo blushed himself, "Well i ran here anyways."

You laughed again, "Alright, I won't complain."

Leo shuffled his feet, looking at the ground. "Also, there's one more thing... I was kinda jealous when you were with those guys. Them calling you cute and stuff...isn't that my job."

You smiled. Leo, jealous of other guys with you? That's interesting, and funny to think about. You held the want to have a laugh attack.

"I gotta go, it's pretty late." Pushing yourself towards him, you swung your arms around him for a hugged him. You felt him hug you right back, his arms wrapping themselves around your waist. You then kissed him on the cheek, which was another normal thing between you both now.

"We'll hang out soon, okay?" You whispered.

"Okay." He responded, sounding completely content with this.

Your hand reached up and gently held the tails of his blue mask, which you began twirling through your fingers. The two of you stood there in each other's arms for a few more seconds. Then you made a daring move, one that you were happy to do. 

As gentle as a feather, and as sneaky as the ninja you are, you planted a light kiss on his lips. It lasted about two seconds before you pulled back and looked at him. His reaction was priceless, he just stood there; frozen. Smirking, you stepped back and started to walk backwards. "Goodnight Leonardo." With that, you tuned around and headed back to your apartment.

The mutant didn't move, not even a little. He just stood there, shocked and taken aback. You just kissed him on the lips, a real kiss. He still didn't move. But he was happy, ecstatic even. The only thing he did was let out a soft shutter, which didn't even echo against the sewer walls. Then a light smile broke out from his mouth, still lingering with the taste of your own.


	25. Drenched

There you stood, atop of the highest building you could find in the area. You stood over the edge, feet on the very ledge of the building. You kept your balance as best as you could. All was quiet, despite it being New York and all. Maybe it was the height that was blocking out the sound. It was perfect. You would have been able to see everything, the buildings and the lights, but you couldn’t. Your mask was turned around, backwards and covering your eyes. Honestly, you looked like an idiot.

But you needed to practice, practice that lotus vision as you called it. You were determined to perfect this skill, but every time you tried you failed and got a head-splitting migraine. It never ends well. As they say, practice makes perfect, right?

Concentration filled your brain and determination filled your body. You relaxed your shoulders and took a deep breath. You could just imagine it happening, if you were able to do it that is… Okay, focus now. You cleared all thoughts, and soon your mind was crystal clear. You released any remaining tension in your arms and legs, feeling relaxed. Back to concentration, and after a deep breath you were ready. A few more seconds of black passed.

Suddenly, you felt a huge rush of energy enter your body. You could see everything. It was almost like your mask was not even covering your eyes. Everything became visible, the glow of the city lights and the twinkle of the stars were there once again. This vision always looked the same, details highlighted with a blue glow so you could see.

You managed to hold it for about ten seconds. Then you got excited, which was a mistake. You got too excited that it became a distraction and it began to fade. You’re vision flickered out of focus.

“No no no!”

Once it had vanished, there came back that huge pain in your head. The pain remained you of failure. You fell backwards and sprawled across the safety of the rooftop. It felt like someone was taking a sledgehammer to your head and splitting your skull. You kept your breathing steady as you laid there on the ground. Your head began to calm down and the pain went away after a while of just laying there. When it disappeared, you sat back up.

You turned your mask back around so the cut outs matched up with your eyes. This revealed the city’s true colours. You took a long sigh and rested your head in your hands. Will you ever be able to perfect that vision? Were you actually a lotus at all? You didn't feel like one right now. You just sat there in the silence.

While thinking about all the thoughts that came rushing back to you, you felt a buzz in your pocket. You reached past your belt and your (WoC) to get to your phone. The screen lit up and a notification came up. It was a text message for your favorite mutant.

“Hey, make sure to get some sleep tonight. Goodnight!”

You smiled, Leo knows that you have been staying up to got out on patrol with him and his brothers. You fell asleep in class yesterday and Casey drew a mustache on your face. You hadn't noticed until Leo had pointed it out…

You were still distracted by your phone, when you heard the shuffle of feet behind you. Your smile quickly dissolved and you suddenly felt nervous. A hand hovered over your weapon(s) while you turned around. Nothing was there. You could have swore you heard something. Then you heard another sound, a scuffing noise. Then one more, a soft clang of metal. Someone was definitely there.

You stood up and exchanged your phone for your (WoC). Gripping it/them in your hands, you keep your eyes open. You saw a shadow wiz past you, and you turned around. But you didn’t see it. Another one rushed by, you felt the wind from it. You didn’t even dare to blink. You thought if you blinked, then you could be dead. Don't turn your back, don't look away.

But then you saw a flash of green, mixed with orange, red and purple…

“Nice try boys, I know it's you.”

A groan could be heard from somewhere and Michelangelo popped out of the shadows. “That's not fair! We almost had you!”

Donatello came out of hiding as well, “We were planning to scare you”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Guys, I’m a Kunoichi. You can't scare me, I do the scaring.”

All of a sudden, you felt a large presence behind you.

“BOO!”

You erupted in a scream. Turning around, you saw Raphael practically laughing his shell off. You growled at him, but he just kept laughing.

“You should have seen your face (Y/N)! You’re so full of yourself that you didn't notice me.” Raph poked at you, still laughing hysterically.

“Yes, I get it. Thank you Raphie for such a show...haha…” You’re voice was nothing but sarcastic.

You turned back around to the other turtles, only to find yourself falling face-first onto the ground. Your feet felt like they have been tampered with. Laughter filled the air, but you grumbled in frustration.

“I also had time to tie your boots together!”

You looked down and saw that your boot laces had been tied together, Raph looked down at you his evil smirk slapped on his face.

“Very funny Raph…” You untied your laced and fixed them back to their original positions. Once you stood back up, you dusted off your clothes.

Then you noticed something, you didn’t even have to count the turtles to notice an absence.

“Where’s Leo?”

“He’s doing some special training with Master Splinter.” Mikey instantly answered.

“Sensei said it was important, so he couldn't come with us today.” Donnie added.

You replied with a light “Hmm”. Then a thought came to mind. “Who's today's leader than?”

You figured this could start an argument, and you were right..

“Me.” Raph simply said.

“Are you kidding, I’m the most responsible of us three.” Donnie snapped back at him.

“No way! It’s me!” Mikey shouted.

They kept arguing back and forth. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle. You just stood there watching them for about a minute. But you had to break it up eventually.

“Okay guys cut it out.” You started to slowly pace as you continued to talk. “Let's say that i lead today.”

“But you’re boring. You’re like the female version of Leo!” Raphael blankly said.

You sent him a glare, then kept on talking. “No. I’m leader today. And as your leader, I say we go and mess around a bit.”

The three mutants smiled, they seemed to like the idea of that. It was always good to put away being ninjas and bring out being teenagers.

“Come on guys.” You stood at the edge of the building. You tightened your mask, and turned to looked at them over your shoulder. “Let's go.”

You pushed off with your feet and jumped of the edge, howling with excitement. The sound was echoed by the turtles, and they were now following you. The team of four dashed off to find something to do.

~TimeSkip~

“I doesn't look to hard”

“Oh I can totally make it!”

“You sure about that Lotus?”

“Pff! Yeah, I’ve jumped further than that.”

The four of you looked down the edge. There was a large gap between two buildings, tall and with large windows whose lighter were out. A light post was suspending a long beam across the gap, creating a way to cross if you were to swing from it. Only problem was that it was a long way across, and a long way down to the building between them. And on the roof of the short building, was a swimming pool. If you were to slip on the bar, or perform a jump too short, you would fall into the water.

“I’ll go first!” Mikey said with confidence. He stretched out his legs and loosened his shoulders. The orange-masked turtle backed up to get a running start. He took off and leaped when he got to the edge. Swinging from the bar, Mikey gracefully made his way over to the other side.

“Booyakasha!”

“My turn!”

Donnie backed up a few steps and rested a finger under his chin. His eyes darted around the area, taking in each angle and space of the situation. It looked like he was scanning it. You glanced to your left and exchanged a look with Raph. The two of you were thinking the same thing.

“Just jump you weirdo!” Raph took the words right out of your mouth.

Donnie grumbled, then made his jump. In no time at all he was on the other side. His performance was a little less graceful than Mickey’s was, but he made it across nonetheless.

Without warning, Raphael took his turn. It was just a flash of green and red passing by as you watched him end up on the opposite side you were on.

It looked easy enough, but you quickly grew nervous about it...

“You’re turn (Y/N)!”

Donatello’s call for the other side made you even more nervous. Where did this sudden fear of jumping over a pool come from? You had no idea yourself. Your inner kunoichi didn’t come out, and you had no idea where she was. You looked over the edge of the building and your eyes followed the long drop down. The water in the pool looked very cold, illuminated by the lights under the water. The pole you needed to swing from suddenly looked like it was getting further away from you.

“Come on! Just do it!” Raph yelled from the other side.

You took a deep breath.

'Why the hell are you afraid right now?’ You found yourself screaming at yourself in your head.

This told you to just go for it. What's the worse that could happen?

With a running start, you took your jump.

And disaster struck.

While reaching for the bar, your fingers slipped. You could not hold your unsteady grip and ended up letting go. You felt yourself falling, and knew you couldn’t do anything before you hit the water. So you gave up and just let out a scream while flailing your limbs all over the place. You went down in a splash, feeling the cold liquid engulf your body.

You came up to the surface, taking in a long huff of breath after coughing some water out of your lungs. Pulling yourself up and out of the water, you plopped down on the deck. Your clothes were soaked, so was your hair. The black fabric stuck to your skin, along with strands of your hair sticking you your forehead. You were kinda glad that you left your phone on the top of the building, or it would have been in your pocket when you fell in the pool. You smelt of chlorine and wet clothes, and your (WoC) would need some serious care later.

Thoughts were snapped away, when you heard intense laughter. You groaned, only now remembering the boys saw the whole thing. They jumped down to your level, still laughing their shells off. You weren't only drenched in water, you had also been drenched in embarrassment.

“That. Was. AMAZING!!” Mickey yelled through gasps of giggles.

“Yeah! The big bad kunoichi fell into a pool!” Raph added in a teasing tone.

“I didn’t think you’d actually fail that hard!” Donnie mocked.

You narrowed your eyes at them, as you attempted to wring out your wet mask. When you put it back on your head, it still damp and sticking to your face, you heard a sound. It was electronic. A skidd, a scream, then a splash. You looked up and saw Raph holding his T-phone. You heard the sequence of sounds again. He had recorded your fall.

You growled, and got ready to grab the phone.

~TimeSkip~

You snuck back through your bedroom window, you boots squishing on the floor as they were still full with water. Throwing your (WoC) on your bed, you striped of your drenched clothes and changed into pajamas.

After chasing down Raph for his phone, you deleted the video and decided to go home. Good thing you managed to get rid of the video before he send it to anyone. That would be more of a disaster then the fall itself.

While drying your hair with a towel, you sat on your bed and grabbed your phone from your nightstand. You attended to any notifications that were on the lockscreen. You let out a yawn, as it was about time for you to go to sleep.

But you felt your phone buzz in your hand. You got a text. It was in the group chat between you, the turtle, April and Casey. You looked at the new message.

And you were horrified…

Somehow Raph still had the video and sent it to everyone. More embarrassment washed over you, drenching you. You instantly jumped into the chat:

(Y/N) is online

(Y/N) - DUDE! What the hell!?!?!

Raph - You're welcome squirt!

(Y/N) - I hate you man

Raph - You too

Mikey is online

Mikey - That was the best thing I’ve ever seen

Donnie is online

Donnie - I managed to recover the file

(Y/N) - Hate you too Don

Mikey - YES! I'M THE FAVORITE!!

(Y/N) - You too Mikey

Mikey - Aww…

April is online

April - How did this end up happening

(Y/N) - The boys forced me to

Raph - We did not!

(Y/N) - Yes you did!

Casey is online

Casey - BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

(Y/N) - All of you shut up

Raph - No way! Best thing that happened ever

Donnie - And ninja of the year goes too…

(Y/N) - DON!

Leo is online

Leo - Haha

(Y/N) - Thanks for the support Leo…

Leo - ;)

(Y/N) - You shut up too

Leo - No, you can't get rid of me

(Y/N) - GUH!

Casey - How cute, you guys are adorable

April - Why I ship them in the first place

(Y/N) logged out

Donnie - And she’s gone

Leo - Is she okay?

April - Hope so…

Raph - She’ll be fine

Casey - She’s probably off to jump in another pool! HAHAHA

Leo - Casey, stop it

Casey - Why

Leo - Cause

April - Just give her time

Casey - I’m saving this video tho’

Mikey - Same

Leo - Delete it

Casey - No

Leo - ....worth a shot


	26. The Power of Two

“AHHH!!”

You let out a squeal as the floor seemed to slip out from underneath your feet. There was a small hurricane of flying paper as you hit the ground.

“What the shell?” You exclaimed in frustration.

“Did I really just say that? Hanging with the turtles so much that their curses have gotten to my head.”

The contents of your backpack were scattered across the floor of your room. A binder over here, your pencil case over there, and your notebooks mixed with your papers. You must have knocked over your bag when you came in from last night, there were still wet spots on the floor from your soaked boots. Mumbling under your breath, you gathered up everything back into the bag and continued to get ready for school that morning.

All dressed and makeup done, you walked out of your room and to the kitchen. You had your backpack slung over one shoulder and your phone in one hand. In the apartment all the lights were off, but the morning sun shined through the curtains of the windows. No one in the apartment was up yet, thankfully. You placed a slice of bread into the toaster and waited for your breakfast to finish. 

Then your phone rang, its distinct tone going off in your pocket. You slipped it out and glanced at the screen. With a smile, you answered.

"Morning Leo."

"Good morning (Y/N)!"

From the way he said it, you could tell he were smiling too.

"What's up?" 

"Just wanted to check in, you seemed mad last night on the chat. You alright?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"Okay good, just thought that video would get to you a little harder. It's not exactly your best Kunoichi performance..."

"True, but I'm all good. I watched it a bit last night, it's kinda funny now that I look back on it."

"Good to know. I thought you might still be embarrassed about it, but you're laughing at it now so..."

You both shared a laugh.

"Thanks for checking in then, I'm happy to know you care."

"Of course I do."

Suddenly the toast jumped out of the toaster, making its popping sound. You let out a squeak, having not expecting it to happen. Stupid toaster and it's jump scares… You heard Leonardo laugh on the other end of the phone call.

"What happened? Krang attack?" He chuckled again.

"No, just attack of the toast..."

"Haha, don't trust those toasters. I remember when me, Donnie and Raph tried to make breakfast once when Mikey couldn't... kind of a disaster...hehe."

You giggled, "Well if you ever need someone to help make breakfast in the lair, let me know."

Your eyes traveling to a clock hanging on the wall, the current time struck you.

"Hey, I gotta go. I don't wanna be late for school. I'll call you on my lunch break when I have the time."

"Alright, don't fall asleep in class today."

"I won't, or at least I'll try not too, bye!"

"Bye (Y/N), have a good day."

You hung up, placing your phone in your back pocket. You slung your bag over your shoulder and grabbed your piece of toast. You ran out the door, with your breakfast hanging out of your mouth.

~TimeSkip~

"I have a medium cream latte for (Y/N)!" 

The voice of the barista caught your attention. You watched as your drink slid out of her hand on onto the countertop. You thanked her as you picked it up and made your way outside. You found an empty table and took a seat. 

A cup of coffee was need at this moment. You weren't able to get one before school, so you almost fell asleep again in class. It was a rough day, you needed a breather. An afternoon to yourself at a cafe on the corner of the street was just what you wanted. 

As you sipped on your hot drink, you watched the city go by. Regular New Yorkers going about their days. Cars and taxis went past, playing red-light green-light on the roads. Pedestrians walked past; phone calls, shopping bags, briefcases. You even caught a glimpse of a stray cat playing in the alley next to the cafe. Everything was normal.

Normal, that was no longer a term you used to describe your life. Too many crazy things had happened since you moved here, crazy things that if you described it to one of those regular New Yorkers, you'd be seen as insane. 

Then you sat there wondering, how many people actually knew that this city was infested with mutants and aliens? It can't be that many, only the people involved; people like you, April and Casey. So much stuff ended up happening, street fights, alien tech, all this talk about Shredder and mutations. It was always like something right out of a movie, every single day.

Your life was definitely NOT normal.

You continued to drink your hot coffee, it felt good as it sent a warmed feeling up your body. It cleared up the remnants of that headache from last night, as well as that splat into the pool. And you could only imagine how the caffeine will affect you later...

Among the busy atmosphere of the city, you suddenly heard something. The sound you heard was not something usual, coming from the alleyway close to the cafe. The scuffing of feet, the swish of metal, the clang of glass. You couldn't just do nothing, your ninja instincts told you to check it out. Curiosity quickly too over.

You left your coffee cup on the table as you walked over to the noise.

Passing a few people that were walking by, you snuck over to the dark gap between the two buildings. As you got closer, the sounds got louder. You pressed your back against the corner of the building and looked over. You saw a glimpse of moving shadows down into the dark alley. To see what was happening, you had to go around another corner. You mentally put on your ninja shoes, and with quiet footsteps, you dashed down the path before you. 

Ducking behind a garbage bin, you glanced over. You saw a group dressed in all black. They had swords strapped to their backs and ninja clothes. There was a symbol on the chest of their outfits, one you swear you’ve seen before.

Foot soldiers. 

You tried not to panic, you haven't ran into foot soldiers since that time you almost got stabbed by that Kari girl. Thankfully, none of the ones currently in front of you were her. You couldn't do anything, you didn't have your (WoC) on you. You couldn't stand up to a group of those guys without it/them.

For now you watched, they were shuffling around a stack of boxes and a few metal garbage cans. They seemed to be looking for something. You knew they worked for The Shredder, so they were definitely up to no good.

Something brushed up against for leg, which made you jump. You looked down and it was just that cat you saw earlier. You sighed in relief as it looked up at you with its huge emerald eyes. It's fur was white and grey, with the cutest face you’ve ever seen. It brushed its face against you again, asking for you to pet it. You gave in to its cuteness and scratched its head. The cat purred and you turned your head back to the food soldiers.

They were still looking through those boxes and cans. You watched as they opened an untouched can, a glowing green light coming out from the bottom. You knew exactly what it was. 

“Meow!”

You didn't realize that you stopped petting the cat, and it was calling for your attention. 

“Shh! Please be quiet…” You whispered to it, not wanting to get caught spying. To keep it quiet you pet its head again.

The foot soldiers were taking out the canister of mutagen out of the can, and shoved it into a silver case. ‘That means Shredder is looking for mutagen, and sending his soldiers to get it…’ you thought. Why would he need mutagen?

“Meow!! Meow.”

The cat wouldn't stop meowing. You panicked. You hoped he would be quiet, but he still kept going. Who knew cats could be so loud!

Then footsteps. One of the soldiers were walking towards you. Your heart stopped, and it felt like your blood froze in place. You wanted to run, but you also didn't dare to move. If you were caught, they would try to capture you and maybe take you to Shredder. They would not recognize you...hopefully. You decided to tell yourself not to move.

Thud!

Something jumped down from the rooftops.

Slash!

The sound of metal, a very distinct sound of metal. The metal of Katana blades.

The white and grey cat jumped up onto your lap at the sudden sound of the brawl. You held it in your arms and stroked its fur as you listened to the fight. It sounded like the soldiers were getting completely destroyed. Metal clashed with metal. Their attacker let out the typical fighting grunts. This confirmed your speculations of who it was. You recognized them anywhere.

A samurai sword went flying, over your head, and nicked into the wall on the other side of the alleyway. Then the sound of scrambling footsteps. The Foot had retreated.

You came out of hiding, still holding the cat. It got scared and struggled out of your arms and ran into the dark shadows. This left you alone, with the mutant who had saved you on too many occasions.

“You’re looking our for me, huh?”

“I couldn't just sit there and do nothing.” Leo’s voice had a joking tone.

“Oh so you admit that you were watching me.”

“I wasn’t watching you”

“Yes you were, then how would you know I needed a bit of help?”

“...Okay, I was watching you…”

“Since when?”

“Since you were at the cafe.”

You rolled your eyes and laughed, “Stalker”

“I am not a stalker.” He said it so casually that you let it slide.

Leo walked over to the can of mutagen that rested in the now opened case. He picked it up and gave it a glance. “So The Foot are looking for mutagen too...I wonder why.”

“I was thinking the same thing, why would The Shredder send his men to find mutagen?” 

“He has plenty of mutants that work for him, maybe he needs more for an experiment…”

“Possibly. Well he's not getting his hands on this one.”

“Yep! This one’s mine.”

He flashed a smile in your direction and you gave him one right back. It was that familiar exchange of smile you both usually had. That one that was friendly; but by the look in Leo’s eyes, it was way more than that now. Then another thought crossed your mind.

“How many times is that now?”

Leo looked confused, “How many times for what?”

“That you’ve saved me this week.”

“You’re still counting?”

“I think we’re at three or four now.” You laughed.

He leaned up against the bricks of the building, he had an amused look on his face. “You’d be nothing without me”

“You’d be nothing without me!”

The mutant sighed, “I guess you’re right…”

A chuckle escaped your lips. “I know I’m right.”

There was a slight pause, full of smiles and smirks. 

Leo then cleared his throat, “I should go. It's daytime, don't wanna be seen.”

“Yeah I should go too, left my drink back at the shop.”

The turtle pulled out a grappling hook from his belt. He then gave you a quick kiss on the cheek, “I’ll see you later (Y/N).”

He aimed the grappling hook up on a fire escape above the ground. Pulling the trigger, the two of you watched the hook launch and it’s cable tailing behind. He pushed another button on it, but nothing happened.

Leo’s eyes grew wide. He tried the button on it again, still nothing happened. As well as for a third time, and the fourth attempt didn't make a difference either. “Heh...give me a second…” He banged his fist against it and shook the unresponsive gadget.

You gave it your all not to laugh. You assumed that the reason he pulled the thing out was to make some sort of “grand exit”, like a superhero would. But his plan to impress was clearly failing miserably.

Click

Leo didn't expect it to go off. It sent him flying up in the air.

“AHHHHHHH!”

He crashed into the fire escape, and somehow the cable got tangled and the hook became useless. A rope came loose from his belt and it became tied around his ankles. Gravity took over and Leo fell.  
He would have hit the ground head first, if it wasn't for the rope that held him up. You were now face to face with him, the mutant tied by his feet and dangling from the rope.

“How did that even happen?” It was all you had to say instead of laughing.

Leo was completely red with embarrassment.

You ran your eyes up and down his current state. Only the perfect circumstances could have let that happen, with the hook and the rope in exact coordination. But that was the least of your worries. Your eyes landed on his face. His red-tinted green skin, his bright ocean blue eyes, his mask that had fallen crooked. But specifically, his lips.

You stepped forward slightly. His lips lined up perfectly with your own. You leaned into him and he closed the gap between the two. You could feel him kiss back instantly, it was like something that was being held back for too long was released from him. His lips were softer than you imagined them to be. Your breath hitched in your throat and your heart pounded. You wished it hadn't ended.

“I um...I’ve never…” Leo nervously said, his voice sounded husky in a way.

“I know.” You winked at him, which made his blush deepen.

You then turned around and began to walk away, with a huge smirk on your face.

“Hey! Wait! You’re just gonna kiss me and then leave me hanging? Literally!!!!” 

“Yep!”

“You little-” 

“Hey! Language Leonardo. Just call me your friendly neighbourhood Kunoichi!”

His jaw dropped, “Don't mock my current unfortunate situation! Get back here!!!”

“Bye Spidey!!” You walked out of the alleyway. He’ll get out of those ropes, eventually.

You made your way back to the cafe and thankfully your coffee was left untouched. Grabbing it, you took a sip. It was now cold, surprisingly cold in a way. You thought nothing of it. A warm feeling put it away, the warm feeling of Leo’s kiss still pressed on your mouth. With a happy skip in your step, you headed back to your apartment.


	27. The Sickening

The large pair of curiosity filled eyes watched as the green, glowing liquid dropped from one glass test tube to another. The droplets splashed into the bottoms of the container and swirled with the blue artificial mixture that Donatello had created. He watched as the two different liquids mixed together, and turn into a light yellow. “That's interesting…”

“Pffff, BOORRRIIIINNG!!!”

Donnie looked over his shoulder at his brother, Raph, who was leaning against the computer desk with an unsatisfactory look on his face. The purple masked turtle shot him a look. “Oh what do you know, Raph?”

“I know that you're a complete nerd!” He replied coldly.

He grunted back, “I'm experimenting with the mutagen, seeing how it works and what it can do besides mutate stuff.” 

A smell had made its way around the room, and Donnie hadn't realized that it was coming from the concoction in the tube he was holding. He looked down and saw that the yellow liquid had turned orange and was now boiling. It turned red in his hands, before he let out a yelp and chucked it across the room. It flew into a trash can and clanged at the bottom, only to create a small explosion with a puff of smoke.

“Okay THAT was cool! Haha.” Raph called out.

Donnie ignored him and sighed. “At this rate I'm gonna have no mutagen to test…”

“Leo’s out looking right now, wonder when he's coming back.” Ralph added.

“I told him not to, it's daytime, but I need more mutagen.”

As if on cue, the door of Donnie’s lab swung open. Raphael mumbled under his breath, “Speak of the devil.” Leonardo walked in, holding a canister of ooz and a grappling hook that was dragging on the ground behind him. Despite the objects, he looked battered. His mask was crooked and askew, there were rope burns on his ankles, and he was covering in dirt and a few bruises. Resting the mutagen and grappling hook on the countertop, Leo rested against it. He looked out of breath and exhausted. 

“This damn thing is broken.” He said in a huffing voice, pointing to the obviously busted grappling hook. It looked like it had been mangled, along with Leo himself.

His brothers ignored the gadget, only focused on the turtle himself. “What happened to you?” They both said in sync together, as if they were reading each other's minds.

“Plenty enough” Leo said as he jumped up on the counter to sit on it. “Long story short, I beat up some Foot soldiers to get this can here, embarrassed myself in front of (Y/N), and then a bunch of kids chased me down an alley way and threw rocks at me!”

Raph burst into laughter while Donnie tried to hold back his own. Leo’s eye twitched as he accepted the laughter to his failures. Finally slowing down his laugh attack, Raph spoke up.

“I don't know what's worse, the fact that you got attacked by a group of kids or that you made a fool of yourself in front of (Y/N), AGAIN!”

It was true, Leo did end up embarrassing himself in front of you a lot, more then he wanted. 

“How did it happen anyways?” Donnie asked.

Leo replayed the events in his head, going red again once he remembered. But then he got even redder, remembering the end of it. You had kissed him, properly this time. He went ahead and explained it all, the foot soldiers and the mutagen, you not being able to take them yourself, the dumb grappling hook, him being suspended upside down like Spider-Man, and…

“Then she…” 

His blush deepened greatly and he suddenly found the floor very interesting, signalling to his brothers that something happened. 

“Then she pulled a Mary Jane on you?” Raph’s voice was full of his smirk alone, Leo could only imagine his face.

He didn't have to confirm it with words. It was already obvious.

“Smooth.” Donnie said cooly, half proud of and embarrassed for his brother.

“T-Then she left me! Hanging there! Smirking with her stupid, beautiful face!” He said it through gritted teeth.

Raph chuckled, “So get her back.” 

Leo's eyes snapped up from the floor. Get her back, he thought, that's not a bad idea…

“That's actually a good idea, getting sweet revenge on your girlfriend for leaving you dangling from a rope.” Donnie said.

Leonardo's thoughts trailed around the term ‘girlfriend’. The word had some weight to it… It wasn't official between you both yet, but come to think of it, you both had never talked about that.

Then he switched gears to the point his brothers had. Get you back. Could work if the right circumstances were in place.

“Once I see the opportunity, i’ll get her back!” He was determined, now smirking and ideas popping into his head.

“Wait, but hadn't she had enough from the pool incident a few weeks ago?” Donnie was thinking out loud.

“There's always room for more humiliation.” The mischief was present in Leo’s voice.

“I can say the same for you!” 

“Cut it, Raph!”

~The Next Morning~

It was early in the morning and Leo was up and in front of the tv. It wasn't too early, about around eight or nine am. A marathon of Space Heroes was on and Leo couldn't pass up the chance to rewatch his favourite episodes of the series.

Footsteps came from the kitchen and Michelangelo walked out with two bowls in his hands of fresh, hot Ramen noodles he had made. An odd dish to have for breakfast, but then again this is Michelangelo we're talking about here. He plopped down beside his older brother and handed him one of the bowls.

“Thanks Mikey.” Leo took the bowl in his hands and it warmed him up.

“No problem dude! My ramen is the best isn't it!” Mickey instantly dug into his breakfast noodles, slurping without worrying that it was obnoxiously loud.

Leo was about to dig in himself (a lot more quietly and put together then Mikey was) but he was stopped by his phone going off. He looked down to where he had placed it on the ground and it was ringing violently with Apirl’s contact displayed on the screen. He instantly picked it up.

“Hey April!”

“Hi Leo, just wanted to call you to let you know that (Y/N) isn't at school today…”

A rush of worry entered Leo, “Why? Is there something wrong with her? There better not be.”

“Depends on what you define by ‘wrong’, you know, if you consider getting sick being something wrong with her.”

“How sick is she?”

“She called me this morning, she sounds bad. I called you because I knew she wouldn't do it herself. She wouldn't want you to worry about her.”

“Too late now.”

“I know, maybe drop by her apartment later to cheer her up.”

“I definitely will, thanks April.”

“No problem, I gotta go to class now. I'll talk to you later.”

They said their goodbyes and Leo hung up. Mikey, who was listening in with anticipation, was worried himself. “Sick? Who's sick?”

“(Y/N).” He replied simply, as he fiddling on his phone for your contact.

“Oh no! Maybe you could bring her over later so she can have some of my ramen, it might help her.”

Leo gave it a thought, maybe it was a good idea to have you over at the lair at this time. With you not at school, you might be lonely. 

~Time Skip~ 

You sat on the floor in the turtle lair, Leonardo sitting to your right and Donatello examining you on your left. Mikey was close by too, devouring his second helping of ramen noodles. A blanket was draped around your shoulders and a thermometer sticking out of your mouth recording your temperature. Donnie leaned in closer to have a better look at your face.

“You're definitely pale, and your eyes slightly bloodshot.”

He took the thermometer and gave the numbers a glance. He drew in a sharp breath in a wince.

“Overheating. Yet freezing at the same time.” He watched your fingers trembling in your lap.

“I felt nothing like this yesterday, it came out of nowhere!” You managed to say, even though your voice sounded as bad as you had looked.

“I'm guessing a mild fever, and possibly a stomach bug…” Donnie stated. “You better take it easy, (Y/N). It's a good idea to just hang out here with us today instead of heading to school.” 

You made a mental note to ask April for today's homework.

“Don't worry,” Leo said. “We’ll take care of you today.”

“In other words, Leo will be the one to do just that.” Donnie said it for his brother with a wink. Then the purple masked turtles walked off into his lab for more of his experiments.

You could feel a chill run up your spine and a pulse start to pound in your head. You did get sick out of nowhere, and you did nothing out of the ordinary at all. Maybe you just had some bad sushi or something, but you didn't want to think about it at the moment, any thinking would only increase the headache you had. 

Over the course of the next few hours, you found yourself sitting with Leo and Mikey in front of the television watching movies and laughing. They almost made you forget about the state you were in, until you remembered why you were here in the first place. You had some of Mikey’s ramen, which helped you feel better as well. Master Splinter even brought you some tea which definitely helped settle your stomach. Thankfully you didn't end up spilling your guts out in front of anyone… 

~TimeSkip~ 

“April!!” 

Mikey ran up to her and gave her a big turtle hug. She laughed at him while Casey raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

“I didn't know you were coming here.” 

“We didn't either Mikey.” April responded. “Didn't know (Y/N) would be here with you guys while she's sick.”

“And we had to bring her homework.” Casey jumped in, holding up a folder with papers sticking out of it.

“Where is she?”

Mikey smiled. With a smirk on his face he pointed towards the middle of the lair’s main room. There you were, with Leo, cuddled up to him and fast asleep. You were curled up into his chest and blanket covering your legs. His arms were wrapped around you, locking you away from anything else but him. Leo was asleep too, resting his head against yours. 

April almost wanted to scream, and possibly Mikey too. It was all too adorable for them to handle. Casey just smirked, and put your folder beside your recognizable backpack off on the side.

“I love them.” April whispered happily.

“We all do.” Mikey added in his own whisper.

~Later That Night~

Leonardo had no idea how he had managed to open your bedroom window while holding your exhausted, passed out figure. He also had no idea how he even got through the window like this either. But he did, and he didn't want to ask questions right now.

The lights were out in your room and it was a little hard to navigate, the only light coming from the open window. Holding you in his arms, he brought you to your bed and laid you down. You had passed out from your sickness and was too exhausted to get home yourself. Leo didn't hesitate to bring you home. Lifting the covers, he tucked you in and made sure you were safe. 

Leo had seen your room before, but never really looked at it properly. It was relatively clean, and there were small things scattered around that screamed (Y/N). But what caught his attention was one of your nightstands. It was a makeshift shrine, to your Ninjutsu. Candles that had been previously burned, the melted wax hardened along the sides. Your (WoC) was in the front, displayed neatly alongside your black mask that you would wear out to night patrols. Your lotus necklace that Leo had given you himself was displayed, warming his heart even more. Now when you weren't wearing it (which is a very rare occurrence), he knows where it is.

There was also a picture right in the middle of everything. One of a man and a little girl. Leo instantly knew that this girl was you, about nine or ten years old maybe. There was no denying how adorable you were in the photo. But the man he didn't recognize, it took him some thinking to come up of who it might be. Then it hit him, your old teacher…

Leo couldn't remember if you had told him about what happened in the past, but he didn't need to know, he decided that it will come in time.

Smiling, the turtle looked back at your sleeping figure. You looked at peace. He could tell you have been through a lot, both today and your whole life. When the time comes, he’ll know more, he thought.

Before he left, he planted a soft kiss on your forehead. Then he disappeared into the dark New York night.


	28. Value

Leo is online

Leo - Hey (Y/N)!

You smiled as you saw the notification. Nothing really cheered you up more than hearing from Leo, especially during school. You decided to forget everything else at the moment, sneak your phone out and reply to him.

(Y/N) - Hey Leo! What's up?

Leo - I'm bored 

(Y/N) - Typical XD

Leo - Haha, what are u up to?

(Y/N) - In class and thankfully it's almost over

Leo - Are you coming over later?

(Y/N) - Yeah, Splinter wanted to see me and we need to do patrol tonight

Leo - Oh right 

(Y/N) - If I don't end up dying in class I'll be there lol

Leo - Lol don't die then

(Y/N) - No promises

Leo - XD

Your fingers hovered over the keyboard on your phone to reply, but you were snapped from the digital world.

“MISS (L/N)!”

The colour drained from your face. Even though your math teacher was kinda laid back, she had a zero tolerance for phones, and technology in general. Looks like your Kunoichi skills couldn't apply to sneaking your phone in class. You hated when this happened…

“Phone away please.”

You didn't hesitate to obey, shoving your phone back into your bag. The teacher continued to her work on marking some papers, while you looked to your right and exchanged glances with April.

And you looked your left and saw that Casey was on his phone too…

‘Oh come on…’

~TimeSkip~

You could feel the blood quickly rushing to your brain, building up and creating a tingling sensation in your head. Your arms were slowly losing their strength. But you needed to keep it up.

“Concentrate.”

Splinter’s voice cut through the silence, it kinda calmed you in a way. Remembering to breathe, you let out a long breath and attempted to clear your mind. The tails of your mask (which was on backwards) tickled at your nose, you did your best to ignore it. 

The sound of Master Splinter’s pacing across the mat faded. Before the blackness behind your closed eyes and mask, there was a flicker. You felt the energy rush run right through you. The flicker changed into a flash, a flash of a symbol you knew all too well at that point. Then like a light switch, it came on.

You saw, upside down, the dojo that was now so familiar to you. Your vision was now crystal clear, every detail of the area now lit up with a blue glowing light. You pushed back your excitement, knowing that it caused you to lose your vision last time. 

With your strange power, you watched Splinter pacing in a circle around you. His eyes were glued to you. He stopped his pacing, and studied your form. He must have noticed that your struggling had stopped, your legs no longer wobbling and no loss of balance. You were completely still. 

Then as to test his theory that you had it, he stuck.

With a sweep of his leg, he attempted a kick. Of course you saw it coming and jumped out of the way. He then threw a punch, but you blocked it quickly with little-to-no effort. 

It seemed that along with the power that fuelled your vision, it gave you an extra boost to your already existing abilities. With every strike, you took action and defended yourself.

But it would only last for a little amount of time, because you were growing tired to the point of exhaustion. With one last block, everything went black.

Then BAM!!

The remaining strength, if there was any left anyways, was knocked out of you. You felt yourself being sent flying backwards. Next thing you knew you were on the floor, lying on your back and gasping for air. You pulled your mask off and rolled over to face Splinter. His facial expression was a mix of horror and something that looked like, pride?

"I didn't mean to do that." He said firmly, trying to stay somewhat professional.

"I know." You replied simply, still panting. "But I had it."

"You did. That was the longest and strongest you have had it. You've been practicing?"

You nodded as you sat up into a seated position. The mutant rat copied your actions and sat across from you.

"For anything, practice and hard work are what gives you results. That's what gave you this ability in the first place, you trained hard and worked your way up to be a kunoichi. Now this is your next stage in your training."

You took in his words. He always knew what to say, and he never disappointed. 

"Master Splinter, I've been meaning to ask... where did this come from? Why can I do this? Why is it...like..." You looked for the right words. "Lotus exclusive?" Didn't sound exactly perfect but it got your point across.

He looked like he was giving it a thought. “I'm not extremely educated on the topic of the Lotus clan, but I do know some things…”

You got comfortable, ready to take in what he had to say.

“As you know, the Lotus was close to my own clan. We shared a common enemy so we formed a partnership, if you could put it that way. I’ve seen their power in action, that's why I could tell you had it. Only the strongest and dedicated of Lotus ninjas could pull it off. When the Lotus and the Foot had that large scale battle, everyone thought that they were wiped out. And to see it live on, is pretty important.”

You smiled, and he continued.

“I'm not exactly sure how the powers started, but only members of the clan could perform it. I'm pretty sure it's a mystery in itself.”

You nodded in understanding. 

“It is not passed through blood, is it?”

You shook your head, “No it's not… My sensei was a friend of my parents…” 

Do. Not. Cry.

“Well whatever it is, im sure he would be proud of you. As I am.”

You couldn’t help but smile.

“Speaking of which, I have something that might interest you.”

Splinter got up and left to his room for a brief moment. Once he returned, he was holding an object. It was made of metal, and it shined in the light. You realised what it was once he flicked it open in a swift motion. A fan. The paper folded out and connected to the silver metal, fanning out in white and blue colours. Once opened you saw the Lotus symbol, which reminded you of what you had seen before your vision activated. And a single Japanese character, one of the few that you could actually read. Lotus.

“I forgot that I owned this, until I found it.” He held it out to you. “And I think you should have it.” 

You stood up and he handed it to you. It was the perfect balance of light and weighed. You flicked it open yourself and created a soft breeze for yourself. 

“The lotus flower has the ability to rise up from the muddy pond and dirt, and grows into great beauty. You have displayed all traits of one. But everyone has the chance to grow as a character and become even better.”

For the first time in forever, you realized where home is. You knew where you belonged. 

~TimeSkip~

You walked out of the sliding doors of the dojo, feeling good about yourself. 

Donatello was sitting in the middle of the room working on his laptop. He heard the dojo door open and close, turned around and gave you a warm smile. You made your way over to him and sat beside him. “Hey Donnie.”

“Hey (Y/N)! Ooh cool fan, didn't know sensei had that.”

You opened the closed fan and admired it once again. “Pretty, isn't it?” He nodded in response.

There was a pause, as he continued to type and you fanned yourself, then you opened your mouth to speak. “Hey Don,”

“Yeah (Y/N), is there something wrong?” He was referring to your tone.

“I was just wondering about the foot and Shredder. Leo has told me some stuff, but it's all a bit fuzzy to me…I know that they are after me but-”

Without hesitation, he closed his computer and turned to face you.

“The Shredder is dangerous, (Y/N). Him and sensei are great enemies. He knows that you're with us, which puts you in great danger.”

He let that sink in for a second.

“Leo is always talking about how he's worried for you. We all are. We all care about you, and if Shredder ever gets you-” 

“Donnie.” You cut him off. “Don't worry about me, but I'm thankful that you all care about me so much.”

He shook his head. “No, (Y/N), I wasn't gonna tell you this…but i’ve overheard a lot from the foot and Karai. They might have wanted you in their hands before, but they’re going insane about it now. Shredder wants you for something, I don't know what, but you need to be careful.”

By the look on his face, he was dead serious. 

“Thank you for telling me.” That's all you had to say in response.

“No problem.” A light bulb went off in his head. “Oh yeah, that reminds me! Give me a second.”

The purple masked turtle got up and ran over to his lab. He was in there for a short time, before he came rushing back out. 

“Since you don't have one of my T-Phones, I made this for you.”

He held it. It was a small bracelet. It had a black band with a metal plate in the middle. Donnie gestured for you to hold out your wrist, and you did so, letting him fasten it on. 

“It's a emergency tracking chip, same technology I use for everyone’s T-Phones. If you're ever in severe danger, and you need me and the guys help, just hit the metal plate and it will send a signal to my computer letting me know where you are. Try it out.”

You held your wrist up as if you were looking at a watch. With your other hand, you pressed down on the plate. It took a little effort to do, you guessed that was because you wouldn't hit it accidentally. Instantly there was a pinging sound coming from Donnie’s laptop. 

He opened it up and it had a red blinking symbol in the corner and clicked on it. A map of New York opened in a new window. A light blue blinking dot appeared next to a purple one that had no pulse (which you assumed was Donnie’s). You also saw on another side of the map red, dark blue and orange dots. These were probably Raph, Leo and Mikey, who were on a pizza run at the moment. There was also a black and a yellow dot on the map, which were Casey and April.

“I have this for everyone except you, so I thought i’d make an alternative for you.”

“That is awesome! Thank you so much Donnie.” You just had to give him a hug, which he returned. 

You do definitely deserve people, and mutants, in your life like this.


	29. Humans, Mutants, and Monsters

There was a silence blown through the streets tonight. On this end of Manhattan, the night was not as busy as you would expect for one of the most populated cities in the world. There's always a point in time where traffic dies down and little is noticed. It was almost as if the quiet would seem endless until dawn would finally arrive.

But the silence was suddenly gone as a white box truck ripped through the street. The vehicle was swerving like crazy, leaving black skid marks in its crossed path. The screeching of the tires enhanced as another projectile from behind made impact. There was another vehicle that was in pursuit of the truck, wanting to take what was inside.

The Shellrazor’s engine roared louder as it followed hot on its trail.

“We almost got it!” Leonardo shouted, desperately trying to stay standing as the Shellrazor jerked this way and that. “Mikey, hit them again!”

From the back of the vehicle, Mikey gave a thumbs up even though Leo wouldn’t see it. He pulled a trigger close to his seat and it launched another manhole cover towards the truck. It swerved once again before it turned a corner onto another street. The Shellrazor followed easily with Donatello behind the wheel.

“I don’t know if we can keep up for long, Leo.” The purple masked turtle was clutching the wheel tightly as he spoke.

“What do you mean we can’t keep up?” Leo’s determined tone in his voice shined through.

“The razor is a little rusty, been awhile since we took her out.” Donnie replied.

“Just please tell me we have enough fuel to last us ti-” Leo stopped abruptly as him and his brother looked at the fuel gage. The needle was flickering as it lowered towards empty.

“GOD DAMMIT DONNIE!”

“Language Leo!” Mikey called from the back. He growled in response.

“You’re too stressed Leo. There is still plan B we can do.”

“Plan B is exactly why I'm stressing!” Yep, he was definitely stressing.

“Raph and (Y/N) will be alright, they’ll do great.”

Leo gave it another thought for a second, he really hated plan B. Yet he still caved. “Fine, let them do it.”

A map appeared on the dash before them, a light blue dot and red dot were just up ahead on the truck’s path. Perfect. Donatello pressed a button on the dash which pulled up a split screen of two cameras. One camera was attached to the front of Raph’s shell and the other was pinned to your jacket. He held down another button and spoke into a speaker.

“Alright Red Lotus-”

“Why did you give us a code name? (Y/N) and Raph would have worked perfectly fine!” Raphael’s voice cut off Donnie’s, which he ignored and continued.

“The truck is coming up your way from the south, go ahead guys.”

“And be careful!” Leo shoved Donnie out of the way to get to the speaker.

“We’ll be fine Leo, calm down.” Your chuckle came out of the intercom.

“I’m serious. Don, this is a bad idea.”

“No it's not. A bad idea is giving Mikey coffee.” Raph’s voice spoke out as well as another chuckle from you. “Come on (Y/N)!”

The Shellrazor came to a slow and a stop, letting the white van speed on ahead. Mikey joined Leo and Donnie in watching the cameras and map, the light blue and red dots now on the move.

You and Raphael peared over the edge of the rooftops and in the distance you saw the truck coming up the street (which was covering in scratches, dents and dirt). It was coming up fast, and you took stance. But realization hit you once you looked down to the street below. Easily that was a four or five story high drop. You’ve seen way greater heights through your years. But even if you missed by one foot, you're absolutely dead.

What a plan. Getting you to jump off a five story building and possibly die in one second. This is definitely something that you would not do voluntarily. But you were best for the job, along with Raphael. One thing was for sure…

Don’t screw up now.

Raph saw you looking down at the height you were both at. He smirked and gave you a shove. You let out a yelp in fear of falling, but thankfully Raph grabbed the back of your jacket before you even went over the edge.

“DON’T. DO. THAT!”

Raph burst out into laughter, while you gave him a death glare and slapped him like he would Michelangelo. “Come on you idiot, we're gonna miss it.”

His laughter slowed as he saw the truck approaching closer. You quickly overcame your fear of the height and your ninja instincts kicked in. At this moment timing was everything.

“Now!”

The two of you launched yourselves over the edge of the rooftop. Mask tails blowing behind, you dropped down and successfully landed on top of the truck before it speeded away. Balance was difficult, but you managed. It seemed that the drivers became aware that someone had jumped on top, as it swerved more violently. You and Raph held on as you made your way over to the back.

Your current partner in crime stuck his Sai into a space near the tail of the truck, so you both wouldn’t fall off. Grabbing your hand, he swung you and lowered you down so you could access the doors.

Donatello’s voice came out of the ear piece he gave you at the beginning of the night, “You might be able to kick the handle off, (Y/N).”

“Got it Don.” With your heel, you stomped down on the handle. It took a few tries, but you got the handle off. The lock came undone with a pop and the handle dropped to the road. The doors swung open. Raph launched you into the truck and followed behind. Inside was just what you have been chasing. There were large crates that were filled to the brim with canisters of mutagen.

Before the two of you could burst out in celebration, Krang bullets started flying everywhere.

“AHHHH!” Following your screams of alarm, you and Raph pulled out your weapons and began to dodge the flying lasers. The crates helped in blocking the bullets and creating a surprise attack for the robots. The two Krang bots that had taken aim were quickly dismantled by Raph’s Sai and your (WoC). Sparks and metal shards flew everywhere and replaced the fire of laser lights.

“That could have gone way worse.” Raph was attempting to pull one of his Sai out of the head of one of the Krang bots.

“Yeah, way worse.”

And it did.

The truck crashed into the side of a building.

You and Raphael were flung from the back of the truck. As well as the crates of mutagen. You rolled onto the pavement and your (WoC) clanged onto it after you. Looking up, you saw the mutagen flying above and the canisters began to shatter when they hit the ground. You scrambled backwards as the glass broke and the oz pooled in front of you. The scene quickly became a layout of shattered glass, splintered wood and glowing mutagen.

“Did you touch it?” Raph ran over to you.

You couldn’t feel any of your skin burning, or any new limbs sprouting. “I think I'm good.”

“See Donnie! This is exactly why this was a bad idea!!” You could hear Leo’s voice booming in your ear.

“Leo calm d-” Before you could hear his reply, the signal cut off. The Shellrazor must have given out.

Raph glanced around at the crashed truck and you followed his eyes. The entire front of the truck was destroyed. The Krang that were driving had been mangled, and you could hear the squealing brain aliens trying to get out of the rubble.

“Well good thing you’re not mutated. Let's scavenge what we can and get Donnie to pick us up.” Raph helped you up from the ground and you both gathered the few canisters left that had not been broken.

Mikey and Donnie assisted in hauling the crate of mutagen you had managed to save into the Shellrazor. Then out of nowhere, Leo came up behind you with worried eyes.

“Are you hurt? Did you touch the mutagen?” Did you mutate?” His words came out a mile a minute as he looked over you.

You brushed him off. “Leo, I’m fine.”

The look on his face was both frustrated and relieved. Leo’s over-protectiveness has grown recently, especially since he's been paranoid of you being wanted by The Shredder (and the possibility of being taken). He’s always been protective, but never to this extent.

You were about to open your mouth to speak, when he jumped forwards and hugged you.

“You’re too paranoid, Leo.” You could see Raph over Leo’s shoulder as he said this.

“You both could have died.”

“And we didn’t.” You replied.

“It was a possibility.”

“Leo, the reason we picked them was because we knew they could pull it off. And they did.” Donnie had stepped in.

“Just forget it. We need to keep moving. Donnie, try to get the razor running and get the mutagen back to the lair. The rest of us will continue patrol. Raph, you’re with Mikey. (Y/N), you’re with me.”

“Why am I stuck with Mikey?” Raph protested.

“HEY!” Mikey whined back.

“Well I don’t want him.” Leo shot back.

“Then put him with (Y/N)!”

“Nope, cause I want (Y/N). Move out guys.” Leo grabbed your hand.

No more questions were asked, everyone went their separate ways. You and Leo went onto the rooftops, you tailing him as he lead you to a new area.

“Leo, we’ve been going in circles.”

You swear you’ve been this way earlier tonight.

“No we haven’t.” He sounded very blank.

You definitely have been here tonight.

“Yes we are! We’ve been here before.”

You looked up, and saw something odd in the distance. Yes, you have been here.

“Come on, I’ll show you.” You dashed past Leo. You could here his pace pick up as he followed you.

You followed the chatter and red and blue flashing lights. You both made it to the edge of the rooftops about ten meters away and glanced down. Sure enough, it was the crashed truck from earlier tonight. Police cars and flashing lights scattered the scene, bright yellow caution tape bordered the premises. The truck was still in its place, destroyed by the wall. Mutagen was all over the grounds too, melting into the pavement like acid.

“See.” You said smugly.

“Well how was I supposed to know?”

You both leaned over the edge, careful to stay out of sight from all the cops on the street.

“This is just great.” Leo growled under his breath. “I'm not sure how much the city knows about what actually goes on here, but they know some things now.”

“We better get out of here before anyone sees us.” You both ran off.

As you both continued, you could not help but notice how quiet Leo was being. Clearly something was bugging him.

“Leo.”

He ignored you and kept running.

“Leo!"

Nothing.

“Leonardo!”

Using his full name didn’t help one bit.

“Leonardo, answer me or I’ll kick your shell all the way to Queens!”

He finally stopped and turned to you. His expression was blank as expected.

“Is this about what happened back there?”

There was a pause, before he said “Yes”.

There was something scary about him. It was rare, but Leo could be terrifying when he was angry enough. Fear washed over you, and you took a single step back. He caught your action and the look on your face, and his anger seemed to die down just a bit. It was almost like he had a hint of sympathy for you. But his booming voice following that made everything horrifying again.

“You could have hurt yourself back there. Literally no one listens to me anymore! If something were to happen to you, or Raph, I would be responsible. I have to look out for you. It’s my job to lead you guys and I don't know what I would do with myself if I lost any one of you! Especially you!”

As he was speaking he was backing you into a wall. He stopped yelling and tried to control himself once he saw your face was full of fear. He took a deep breath and felt the weight lift off of his shoulders.

“I-I'm sorry…”

You paused. “It's okay. T-Try not to scare me like that.”

With everything that had happened, you hadn't noticed that you were fully backed into the wall. Leo was right in front of you, you could feel his breath. You looked into his eyes, they were now soft and shimmered like water reflecting moonlight.

Neither of you needed to speak, it just happened.

Your hands clinged to his shell as his own wrapped themselves around you to pull you closer. Leo kissed you first, feeling like he owed you for what had just happened. The previous scene seemed to have been wiped from your memories, the only thing that mattered was that moment then and there.

“You don’t deserve me, any of this really.” He placed his forehead gently on yours and closed his eyes.

“Don’t say that.” You began to play with the tails of his mask.

“Why would you want a monster?” you could feel his hands trail down your sides, up your back, and repeating the pattern.

“Mutant and monster are not the same thing.” You whispered back, looking up at him through your eyelashes.

“You know what I mean.”

“Don’t think like that”

You pulled him in again. Time seemed to stand still. The only reason you parted was for air. With heavy breaths you both stayed close.

“Don’t you ever think like that!”

“Shhh…”

“Im serious-”

“No, shh!” He placed a finger on your lips to shut you up. You were about to swat him away, when you understood why he had shushed you. There was talking and rustling from down in the alley way.

“I know those voices…” Leo said as quiet as he could, eyes narrowed.

You both crept over to the edge and looked down carefully. You could have screamed if you didn’t remind yourself to stay quiet. Down in the alley way there were two mutants. One was a large fish with mechanical legs while the other was a large dog that looked half skeleton. You haven't seen many other mutants in the city besides the turtles. You once saw a giant fly but that was it.

“Who is that?”

“Chris Bradford and Xever Montes.” His voice had turned dark again. “Or as Mikey likes to call them, Razar and Fishface.”

You both watched them as they were digging around in the alley way. They were looking for mutagen and they were definitely with The Shredder. You could tell because...well they are mutants and the fact that they were in search in mutagen.

You reached to draw out your (WoC), but Leo stopped you.

“You need to stay here, we can't let them see you.” His voice was soft.

You didn't argue. They work for the Shredder, and he was out to get you. If they saw you, they would definitely try and take you.

“You can’t go down there and take them on by yourself though. A giant fish and a large skeleton dog, you might get skinned.”

“They’re pretty easy to trick, don’t worry about me. I might be able to get some information from them. Just stay here and call the guys to help out.” He went to leave, but looked back at you, “I have to look out for you.” He planted a kiss on your cheek and drew out his blades. “Stay in the shadows, (Y/N).” And he began to climb down as you reached for your phone.

“Since when did canisters of mutagen get scattered around the city in the first place.” The deep voice of Razar echoed through the dark and empty alley way.

Fishface replied with his thick accent. “Those aliens somehow managed to dump a lot of them everywhere. Master Shredder's supply is low so keep looking.”

“There not gonna be any left at this rate. We’re using so much. And I don't understand why Master Shredder makes us go out and find some. I was dunked in the stuff twice!”

“Bradford, shut your trap and keep looking!”

They kept shifting boxes and metal trash cans. But then out of nowhere, they heard a thud from behind them. “What do you freaks need mutagen for?”

Leonardo was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and one leg over the other in confidence. Fishface and Razar snapped out of their confusion once they recognized who it was.

“Well well if it isn't one of the turtles. By yourself are you?” Fishface’s cold voice cracked through the air.

“Yeah just me.” Leo said cooly, twirling one of his Katana blades in his hands. “So tell me, what does Shredder need mutagen for? I asked you once already.”

“And why do you think we’re gonna tell you?” Razar replied.

“I don’t know, worth a try.” There was a chuckle in his voice, he was being very cocky at the moment. “Come on you can tell me.”

They both looked at him like he was insane. Leo let out a laugh.

“Alright turtle boy, you’re asking for it!”

Without warning, Razar lunged forward towards Leo. He lashed out his large claws. Leo blocked them with his Katanas and forced him backwards.

From the rooftops, you watched the fight unfold. An instinct deep inside you wanted you to jump right in and stab both of those giant mutants. But you had to hold yourself back. Donnie, Raph and Mikey would show up sooner or later to help Leo out. It looked like he had everything under control in the meantime.

Just then, Fishface had kicked Leo’s katanas into the air. They were flung up into the air, with a surprising height, spinning furiously. They came over the edge of the rooftop. You jumped backwards before they could slice you in half. They clanged onto the rooftop at your feet.

You looked back down over the edge. Razar now had Leo by the neck and was holding him against the wall. You had to chose between staying hidden or intervening. Being seen would put you in danger, but you couldn’t leave Leo like that.

Then an idea popped into your head. You found a compromise.

Leo struggled to get out of Razar’s huge hands. Being completely pinned to the wall, and Razar having a large strength advantage, it was hard to escape. He had to think of something, and fast. He didn’t have many options. No katanas, no allies, and no double-mutated strength to one up Razar.

Ching

With a flash of silver metal, Leo watched his katanas fall from the rooftops. Before it had hit the ground with a clang of metal, it had cut into Razar’s arm. The creature cried out from the freash gash on the arm. This gave Leo an advantage and slipped out of the grasp and dived for his blades.

He continued to fight them off, with a little more confidence now and katanas in hand. Swing after block, kick after punch, Leo began huffing from trying to keep up with both Fishface and Razar simultaneously. He nearly lost focus by wondering when his brothers would show up to help.

As if his question was dying to be answered, the engine of the Shellrazor could be heard. And it was getting louder. Donnie must have fixed it just in time. There was a screech, then there was a bash, and then a loud crash. The crash was Donnie knocking Fishface into a pile of trash cans with the Shellrazor. It came to halt right beside the blue masked turtle.

“Leo! Get in!!!” Donnie shouted out from the driver’s side window.

He dashed for the door and it quickly shut behind him.

“Wait, wheres (Y/N)?”

Outside, Razar and Fishface were still slightly shocked from a vehicle showing up out of nowhere. Their shocked expressions only stayed glued to their face when they saw a dark shadow fall from the rooftops and land on top of the Shellrazor.

The loud bang indicated that something was on top of the razor. The turtles were perplexed for a second before they looked at the monitors and saw that you had jumped down from the building.

With that, Donnie stepped on the gas and took off with you holding onto to roof for dear life.

While speeding off, the door opened for you and you swung in. Once you entered you were so out of balance that you almost fell over. Thankfully Leo was behind you and he caught you.  
You both were out of breath, him from fighting two mutants at once and you from being on a roof of a vehicle for the second time today. The two of you collapsed onto the floor out of exhaustion.

“You guys are a little late.” Leo said with a smile.

“Well we made it regardless.” Raph replied.

“I managed to get her back up and running, so that's a good thing.” Donnie called over his shoulder.

Leo turned to you. “Thanks for throwing my blades down.”

You shrugged, “I need to look out for you.”

He chuckled with a toothy grin. You joined him.

“Let’s go home guys. We all deserve it.”


	30. Today and Tomorrow

“Something’s not right.”

Leo came into the main area of the lair to meet Mikey and Donnie who were lounging around. Mikey’s eyes were glued to the tv while Donnie was scribbling down some notes into a notepad. They both looked up when they heard Leo’s voice and him walk in.

“What’s not right?” Donnie asked, hand covered in pencil graphite from writing.

“I tried calling (Y/N) but she’s not answering her phone…”

Mikey and Donnie exchanged a look. They knew very well that you and Leo would always call each other when you both were not in the same room. You not answering was definitely not right.

Mikey, who was lying on his front close to the tv, let out an very audible (and possibly very over exaggerated) gasp. “Maybe she’s in trouble?!”

“I don’t know.” Donnie stated skeptically as he reached for his laptop. “There’s no alarm going off on my computer. If she was in trouble then she would have alerted us using the tech bracelet I gave her.”

He opened his laptop and Leo and Mikey crowded around him with anticipation. Donnie pulled up the map of the city on the monitor. From their current location showed up a purple, blue and orange dots. Donnie zoomed out on the map and quickly located the light blue dot that represented the kunoichi they were looking for. It was right beside a red dot.

“She’s with Raph. She’s fine.” Donnie reassured Leo who was leaning over his brothers shoulder to look at the screen. “If she hit the button on her bracelet we’d get an alert and she would be blinking on here.”

“So that explains why he’s not here.” Mikey half whispered, now stuffing his mouth with pizza that he seemed to pull out of nowhere.

A feeling of relief washed over Leonardo, but then something else kicked in. You didn’t answer your phone and you were with Raph. Leo knew he shouldn’t feel like this, the tightening in his stomach and the anxiety rushing into him. He knew it would never happen, Raph would never… No! He told himself. No way! Raph wouldn’t want to take you away from him. But the situation didn’t add up at all. You could have forgotten your phone and you were just out with Raph probably messing with some robbers or something. That still didn’t help Leo’s overprotective and anxious thoughts.

“That's it, I’m calling Raph” He quickly dialed his number.

“Ohhh somebody is jealous!” Mikey sang in a mocking tone.

“Mikey!” Leo growled and held his phone up and waited for Raph to pick up. He was really wanted him to pick up...because if he didn’t…

Donnie saw the look on Leo’s face, the look he knew all too well.

“Leo calm down, nothing bad is happening. I can assure you that.”

The blue masked turtle still held his worried face, tapping his foot while waiting...

~Meanwhile~

On an empty street in the cool New York weather, there was a disturbance on the corner. At an hour like this you’d expect it to stay quiet, but this is Manhattan so there was bound to be trouble somewhere. A group of three people were trying to hack an ATM to rob it of its contents. Between several rounds of bickering back and forth and fumbling with their gadgets, they weren't really getting anywhere. But all three of them had jumped when they heard a voice from the shadows.

“Sup guys, forget your pin number?”

The voice was female, sly and cocky to an extent. The three robbers looked over and saw the figure leaning against a wall a few feet away. She was dressed in black and a black ribbon mask covered her face.

“And what do you three think you’re doing?” You said with a little more seriousness in your voice.

The three of them exchanged looks with each other, somewhat confused by your sudden appearance. “What are you going to do about it?” The tallest one had spoken out for the three of them. “And who do you think you are?” Another one had said.

You flashed your (WoC), now smirking. “I’m someone who doesn’t take crime in my city.”

As you were taking out your weapon(s) out from your belt, the robbers took out knives. They pointed them at you as they gripped them tightly.

“You’re outnumbered girly, so you better run away.”

You let out a laugh that echoed through the street like a wolf's howl.

“I’m not alone.”

Raphael came out of the shadows. “Yeah she’s not.”

As expected the robbers were taken aback by a mutant standing in front of them. They had tightened their grips on their knives and were shifting their weight or slightly shaking. You and Raph however were having a normal conversation that he had brought up.

“You really sounded like a stereotypical superhero back there. ‘I’m someone who doesn’t take crime in my city’” His imitation of you was in a high pitched voice, agitating you slightly.

“Hey it sounded cool.” Was your defense.

“Man you sound just like Leo…” You would take that as a complement. He shook it off then turned to the robbers. “Now as for you three.”

“How many ATM’s had you managed to ransack tonight? And how much did you steal?” You jumped in.

“What’s it to you?” One of them half stuttered, half shouted.

You turned to Raph, “How much you wanna bet that the bag is filled with stacks?” One of them was holding a sports equipment bag that looked stuffed. You doubted there was any trace of sports equipment ever in there.

“I could bet a lot on that.” Raph smirked and cracked his knuckles. “Say (Y/N). On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you think they’d feel it if I-”

“I say at least twenty.” You replied simply with a smile.

The three of them broke out into a run. You and Raph dashed forwards and rabidly climbed to the rooftops to get a lead on them. One thing was for sure about these guys, and that's that they could run. About a block away from you’re starting point, you caught up to them and jumped off the building in front of them.

You thought their speed was impressive until combat started. They put up a good fight.

You and Raph were gaining the upper hand, when the ring of a Tphone interrupted. Now one handed fighting, you helping out on the side, Raph answered his phone.

“Hey dork what’s up?”

“Thanks for the greeting…” Leo’s voice came from the other end. “What are you both doing?”

“Both? You mean (Y/N)? You’re using the tracker map on us?”

“Yes! And it’s very late so what's going on?”

“Not much.”

“Not much?!”

Raphael threw his phone over the head of the robbers and over to you. “It’s your boyfriend!”

You caught it in the middle of a flip while dodging one of them trying to stab you.

“Hey Leo.” You tired to sound as cheerful as possible.

“Don’t play innocent. Where are you and why haven’t you answered your phone?”

Your stomach sank, but you kept fighting despite you being one handed at the moment. “Shoot. I must have left my phone at home while rushing out…”

“Are… are you in a fight right now?”

You laughed nervously. “W-what are you talking about.”

A knife came for you, you blocked with your (WoC), the sound of metal on (material of weapon) clashing together.

“Sure sounds like you’re in a fight.” Leo’s voice was blank.

“Leo we’re fine, we got this under control.”

“You’re probably fighting with one hand right now. Not to mention that you haven't been getting much sleep recently.”

“Okay, I’ll go straight home after this. Promise.”

“Alright. Tell Raph to get his shell back to the lair too.”

After you both said goodbye, you hung up the phone and dodged another stab attack. You snatched the knife from your opponents hands and threw it into the street.

~TimeSkip~

There was a chill in the night, making you pull your scarf closer to your body. Only a small amount of heat radiated off of Leo, being cold blooded after all (in reptile standards that is). The two of you sat along the edge of the tallest building you both were able to find in the area, glancing down on the lights of New York. The sound of wooden chopsticks clicked as you both ate the pizza gyozas you had gotten earlier that night.

The silence between you was no way awkward at all, that stage was way behind. Nothing needed to be said. Just sitting there in each other’s presents, surrounded by the city lights and white noise, it all said enough.

But something was on your mind. You had to get it out.

“Leo…” Your voice came out as barely a whisper, you were surprised that he even heard you.

By the tone in your voice, he could tell instantly- “Is something wrong?”

You didn’t know if something was wrong or not. You never did like not knowing.

“When me and Raph were out the other day...we were talking about Karai for a little…”

Leo could have choked on the food he was in the middle of chewing.

“And he mentioned...that you liked her…”

There was a pause and you waited for his response.

“Well that was before I knew you existed.”

You didn’t think he could have responded better, which made you smile.

He put down his takeout box and turned to face you.

“(Y/N) listen. Sensei once told me once told me that yesterday doesn’t matter, that only today and tomorrow does. He meant that the past will stay the past and you need to focus on the present and what lays before you.”

You let that soak in for a minute. It could not only apply to what you had just mentioned, but to other things that were at the back of your mind.

“Yes I did like Karai. Past tense, (Y/N). Things have changed.”

He scooted his body closer to yours.

“She was my yesterday-”

He reached over and lifted your chin up to look at him in the eyes. Those eyes, god damn those eyes. They were so bright and beautiful, it was like staring into a calm ocean that could only exist in a dream.

“You are my today and tomorrow.”

You melted right there. Flung yourself right in his arms and just melted into him.

“Leo.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

The turtle turned red, then held you a little tighter. “I love you too.”

You were an odd pairing, but definitely a perfect pairing.

“Wait.. HEY!”

Too late. Leo had sneakily stolen one of your pizza gyozas behind your back. He was smirking and hiding laughter has he ate one of your last gyozas. You growled under your breath, but kissed him on the forehead.


	31. After Midnight

The screams echoed in his head, screams of pain, regret, anger and fear. He continued running down the dark hallway that seemed to go on forever. He couldn’t even remember when he started running into the darkness, or why he was running in the first place. He just kept running while the voices were bouncing around in his head. The voices were familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint who each one belonged to at the moment. There were six of them, so loud he could not hear his own pounding feet or heavy breathing as he kept running.

In a flash the hallway changed. The walls were now lined with mirrors. The mutant could now see his reflection running alongside him on the left and the right. Looking closer, his mask had been swapped out for a black one. The mirrors began to flash with a flower symbol. He kept running.

Leonardo heard a seventh voice, wailing in agony and horror. With the black mask on his face and the Lotus symbols on the mirrors, he instantly made the connection to the owner of the voice. He heard it again, now overtaking the others in his head.

The cry was heard a third time, but it was not inside Leo’s head this time. It echoed down the corridor of mirrors, coming from the other end. Leo broke into a harder run, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

In another flash he was in a different area. He was now in a dark room and standing still. He started walking forwards for a short period, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard sobbing.

He felt his heart stop as he looked over.

There you were, lying limp on the floor and barely moving. Your hands were tied behind your back and were covered in dirt, sweat and blood. Your clothes were torn to shreds along with your mask that was on the floor in front of you, beside it your (WoC) that had been shattered like glass. You continued to sob, tears pouring out from your bloodshot eyes.

Leo dashed for you, collapsing right beside you. Pulling you towards him, he began to tear up at the sight before him. Your body was freezing cold and your breathing began to slow…

“No! No no no no no no. (Y/N)!”

Leo watched you close your eyes and all movement stop, all strength gone and body now limp.

Before he could start screaming or bawl his eyes out, he felt a large presents. After that, he felt a large force push him backwards with a flash of metal. There was pain for a split second, a large blade slashing into his body. Then it all stopped. He felt nothing and all went black.

Leonardo woke with a start. Trembling and covered in sweat, it felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his shell. While breathing heavily and trying to calm himself down, he could see that in the darkness of his room that his blankets were kicked to the end of the bed. He reached over and checked his Tphone, the blinding screen read 1:12am.

He threw himself forwards, burying his face in his hands. It was just a dream, he told himself this over and over. But it felt so real. He had never dreamed of anything that felt like that before. The screams of his brothers, his sensei and his friends. Your screams… They sounded like they were right there. Then there was your body, you felt like ice in his arms. He felt your heart stop beating and you going limp. It was almost like the entire dream was too real to be a dream.

But it was just a dream, Leo kept telling himself this in attempt to get back a regular breathing pattern. He knew this because he was safe in his room, and that you were safe too across the city. Just in case he checked his phone and sure enough he saw the conversation over text you both had before he went to sleep. You both always texted each other at the end of the day. He let out a huge breath of relief.

One of Leo’s biggest fears was failure. Failing at being a leader, failing at being a ninja, failing at being a friend, failing at being a brother. Recently a new one was added to the list, and that was failing at being a boyfriend. Leo didn’t know what he would do with himself if he let anything happen to you. He never wants anything bad happen to you. With you being wanted by The Shredder was not helping his sanity at all.

There was no way he was going to fall back asleep after having a dream like that. He went to bed early too, usually the turtles stay up during the night more often due to their nightly patrol runs, but they trained all day and just had to knock out early. Leo didn’t even try to fall back asleep, he just got up.

The turtle pulled himself out of bed, quickly yanking the messed up sheets back over it as he usually did when he got up. Grabbing his phone, his gear, and his mask; he slowly opened the door to his room. Creeping past a room containing a snoring Raphael, he snuck out of the lair as quietly as he could and dashed down the abandoned subway tunnel. He didn’t know where he was going, but he needed to go somewhere.

~TimeSkip brought to you by Ice Cream Kitty~

Being outside helped calm Leonardo’s anxious state. With music blasting through the headphones he was wearing, he made his way around the city on the rooftops. Just meaningless wandering cleared his mind and he could breathe properly again. If he had found a group of Krang or some foot soulders, he would have decapitated them all. He thought it was a good thing that he didn’t find any, he didn’t want to turn into Raph and turn all his emotions into anger.

After about an hour or so (not that he was counting or anything) of wandering endlessly, he found himself on the highest building he could find; just sitting there and listening to his playlist. Music drowned everything, taking all the negative things and drenching them in a beat. Leo couldn’t imagine a world without it. He was smiling again, knowing that everything will be alright.

Once another song ended, the next came on and it made him smile even more. The beat and voice was so recognizable to him now. It was a song from your favourite artist. You had shown Leo their music awhile ago and mentioned that it was your favourite. Afterwards he had binged on albums, and he loved it. The one blasting right now was his favourite. The song reminded him of you, the smile not leaving his face.

While he was sitting there, feeling the breeze and letting his mind wander, he got distracted when he noticed something in the distance. Leo took off his headphones and rested them around his neck, and leaned forwards to try and get a closer look.

They clearly looked like Foot soldiers. What he was looking at definitely screamed trouble from The Foot. There was a group of people dressed in black, crowding around a truck with a tank, down in an alleyway. Leo wished he had a pair of binoculars or something, because he could barely see it. His mind might have been playing tricks on him, or he was starting hallucinate, but he didn’t know for sure. He had to check it out, at least get a little closer.

The ninja climbed lower on the skyscraper and soon the scene was more clear to him. He had not been seeing things, they were Foot soldiers around a tank truck by a warehouse. At a safe distance, but where he could still see, he watched them carefully.

Then he watched Karai walk out of one of the doors and start talking to one of the soldiers. Triggering something in the back of his head, he tried to shake it off. He could hear your voice, ‘...we were talking about Karai for a little…’ No! Forget it! ‘And he mentioned...that you liked her…’ No he had settled this with you already, he just needed to focus on what was happening at the moment. He didn’t want flashbacks, especially ones from his dream. He quickly shook it off and watched carefully.

The next thing he knew the soldiers got in the truck and were starting to drive away. Leo panicked. During his scramble of what to do (he couldn't decide whether to interfere or just get the shell out of there), he noticed something that made him chose to do something about it. The tank on the back of the truck looked odd. There was a glow radiating from it, the tank illuminated slightly green. There was mutagen in there. Leo knew he had to act quickly, and the idea that had jumped into his head was close to impossible; but it was possible.

The turtle waited for the truck to get slightly closer, the few seconds felt like they went by like days. When the window of opportunity opened up, he pulled out one of his throwing stars. Knowing it was now or never, he threw it.

With the tiny sliver of possibility, the star pierced the side of the tank. The pressure built up and the thing exploded. Mutagen oozed all over the street and burned into the ground. The soldiers fled and Karai stood in shock. Better to let the mutagen scattered over one street then let it get into The Shredder’s hands. This was Leo’s que to bolt if he did not want to be seen by Karai or anyone else. He dashed as fast as he could, finally heading back to the lair.

~TimeSkip~

Leo finally felt tired again, he had been out for at least two hours. Going outside had helped a lot and now he was ready to go back to bed. His legs were growing sleepy and his eyes were starting to close if he didn’t focus on keeping them open.

Upon entering the the lair, which looked deserted since everyone was asleep, he started off to his room. Before he could, he noticed a light coming from Donnie’s lab. The door was cracked open and he could now hear shuffling. He wasn’t surprised that Donnie was up, so he might as well go and say hi. Despite being close to half asleep, Leo walked right into the lab.

Donnie jumped when he saw Leo enter his lab, sighing in relief when it was just his brother. Leo thought that he was tired, but Donnie looked close to dropping on the floor and knocking out any second. Weak posture, massive eye bags, and limbs flopping.

“Why are you up?” Even his voice was weak.

Leo gave him a sideways glance, “I could ask you the same thing.”

The purple masked turtle sighed. “More mutagen experiments.”

“Seriously. You’ve been at it for so long now and there’s nothing new. Go to bed, man.”

Leo just now noticed the empty coffee mug on the desk. Donnie went to grab it, realized it was empty and just answered his brother. “But I found something.”

Donnie moved his swivel chair towards another table, which had a bunch of lab equipment resting on top. He picked up a sheet and handed it to Leo. There were a few diagrams and some writing, Leo couldn't understand all the science stuff but he made out the results.

“The mutagen is more effective in larger quantities?”

“Yes!” Donnie said with a burst of energy that came out of nowhere. “The mutagen has more drastic effects the more there is of it. A single tiny drop will at the most burn right through your flesh, but a whole canister has more mutation ability.”

Leo looked between the results and his brother, happy that Donnie was excited about finding something. But he had probably been up for a while because of it.

“Donnie you need to go to bed.”

The purple-masked turtle made a sound that was a mix between a sigh and a grunt. “Alright fine. I’m just glad I found something.”

Leo watched him trudge off to his room, but before he could leave the lab he turned back to him.

“Leo why are you up anyways?”

He hesitated before giving his answer. “I went for a walk.”

“Why?”

“Go to bed Donnie!”

The exhausted turtle gave up, shrugging his shoulders he finally left the lab.

Leo sighed and shook out his limbs, he needed sleep as much as Donnie did. Once he would fall asleep there would be another day ahead of him.


	32. A Study In Mutagen

The first thing they said to you when you mentioned you are coming over tonight was “Can you pick up a pizza or two?” Apparently you’re their delivery girl and not much else. Use their human friend to go out and get pizza. Might as well show up and ask for a tip. Leo insisted that he would pay you back anyways. So, grumbling under your breath the whole way, you made your way across the city.

You stopped at one of your favourite pizza shops and picked up two large pepperoni pizzas. While holding both boxes, you danced across the rooftops on your way to the turtle lair. It was a long day at school and you were ready to relax with your best friends.

On the way, music from your favourite artists blasting in your ears, you came across something that made you stop suddenly. You called Leo immediately.

You had found a warehouse that had suspicions vans parked outside. There were Foot soldiers unloading crates out of the vans. You watched the crates being transported into the warehouse. A gut feeling inside you knew what was inside those crates.

Climbing up onto the warehouse rooftop, you set down the pizza boxes and waited for Leo to pick up the call.

“Hey (Y/N)!”

“Leo, I just found something. Is everyone nearby?”

He instantly grew serious, “Yeah we’re all here.”

“Put me on speakerphone, this is weird.”

There was a pause, you heard Leo gather his brothers around. “Alright you’re on, what’s up?”

You spoke to them all, “Guys, I’m pretty sure I just found where Shredder keeps his mutagen supply.”

A few gasps came from the other line.

“What do you see?” Donnie asked.

“I’m on top of this warehouse and Foot soldiers are moving loads inside. Something tells me it’s all that mutagen Shredder is trying to gather.”

“Well you need to investigate obviously!” Raph said eagerly.

“No, (Y/N) get out of there. Donnie will track your current location through your bracelet.” Leo snapped back.

“Leo she should go in. (Y/N), do you still have the spy gear I gave you?” Donnie asked.

“Yep. I’m going in guys.”

“Yay a spy mission!” Mikey sounded excited.

Leo on the other hand did not approve. “What if you get caught (Y/N)? You are right under Shredder’s nose!”

“Leo we’ve been through this. I’ll be alright.”

“She’s the only one who could pull it off.” Raph pointed out.

Leo was having déjà vu to back when you and Raph jumped on top of a Krang truck, and many other times he’s been worried and everyone said he was being crazy.

He sighed, “Be careful.”

You pulled out the tiny kit of spy gear Donnie had made for missions. A small earpiece that connected to your phone call, a camera that attached to the middle of your mask, and a cable that attached to your belt.

You could now hear Donnie and the others in your ear. Donnie spoke, “Okay (Y/N), we can see and hear everything you do. Find a way in.”

“Like I said, be careful.”

“Leo calm down.” You feel like you say that too often.

You found a nearby skylight and carefully lifted the glass panel. You made sure the coast was clear then lowered yourself down into the building.

“WOW!” Mikey nearly blew out your eardrum. “We have a secret agent kunoichi! She’s like Black Widow or Tom Cruise!” He then proceeded to sing the Mission Impossible theme tune.

“Mikey shut up! Don’t be too loud or you’ll kill my ears.”

Once you were lowered into a solid platform, you unclasped your cable and went into kunoichi mode. You found yourself on a balcony overlooking the warehouse, looking over the edge had you in shock.

“So that’s where all the mutagen has gone.”

There were several large glass vats filled with the ooz. They were all purely mutagen, the glow the warehouse had was very unsettling.

“Are you guys seeing this?” You whispered as you were trying to keep quiet and not be seen.

“Oh we are.” Donnie sounded awestruck.

“You said you found out that mutagen was more effective in larger quantities, Don.” Leo explained. “They must have found that out too.”

You spotted an entire table full of test tubes, coloured chemicals and other various lab equipment. They were definitely doing experiments with the stuff.

“Guys they’re testing the mutagen.”

“My question is,” Raph jumped in, “are they testing it on people or animals at all?”

You didn’t see anything that looked like they had test subjects. “I’m going to look around some more.”

You crept around, but you couldn’t really find anything more. The main information that you got was that they were gathering the mutagen in large quantities, to be more effective according to Donnie, and they were doing experiments on it.

“Get down the coordinates of this place Don, at least we know where he’s keeping all this. I think I’m done here.”

You made your way back to where you entered. The other line was surprisingly silent for little bit. “Guys is everything okay?”

“(Y/N) get out there!” Leo sounded more serious.

“What?”

“That location is very close to Shredder’s lair.”

Your stomach turned, you quickly got back up to the rooftops and gathered your things.

“You see that clock tower? That’s Shredder’s lair. You need to leave before you’re seen by anyone there.” Donnie rang in your ear.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys soon.”

You crept away successfully through the shadows without being seen. Now you knew what area of the city to avoid.

~TimeSkip~

The five ninjas devoured the two pizzas and hung out in the turtle lair. Meanwhile reviewing the footage from earlier that night.

“Who needs that much mutagen?” Raph said in the middle of chewing a bite of his slice.

“Shredder apparently.” You responded, jokingly but completely serious.

“Really though, what are you doing with all of it?” Donnie was the most confused.

“Doesn’t all the lab equipment make it obvious?” Leo said, being snarky.

“I know they’re experimenting, Da Vinci!” Donnie suddenly became very sassy. That’s the first time you heard Da Vinci (you made a mental note to use that). “But what are they looking for? Or what are they experimenting ON? Do they have test subjects? They could be injecting it into the bloodstreams of kittens for all we know!”

“Shredder definitely is planning something.” Raph said, “if he wasn’t that what’s the point of all this?”

You quickly noticed that the three brothers you were sitting with we’re discussing the mutagen situation, while Mikey was over there just downing the food you had brought over. The guy could eat all the pizza in the area if you don’t stop him.

He went to grab a new slice and to bite into it. You wanted to mess with him. Quickly you pulled out (your knife or blade weapon/if it’s not a blade then you sneakily took one of Raph’s sai) and threw it. The blade swiped the pizza slice from Mikey’s hands and traveled across the room. The blade and pizza landed nicked into the wooden stand that held the training dummy.

“HEY!”

Before Mikey could get out his reaction, you went diving for the slice on the other side of the room. You were just about to reach it, when you were pulled back from your prize. Mikey had wrapped the chain of his nunchucks around your legs and tied them together. He proceeded to dive for the slice.

You wouldn’t let him get it.

You grabbed the back of his belt as he passed you and threw him backwards. He got up quickly, but you had other plans. You charged up a kick with both legs since you were tied up, but still managed to launch the smallest turtle across the room.

Meanwhile Leo, Raph and Donnie watched in amusement.

“She beat him even with her legs tied up.” Donnie smiled.

“Yep, I scored.” Leo said with a smirk.

Raph gagged. “We get it, you dork, you have a girlfriend.”

You sat in triumph, eating the pizza slice and managed to escape the nunchuck chain. Mikey grumbled from where he landed.

“I need to train more!” Mikey whined. “It’s my goal to beat her in a fight one day!”

“Impossible.” His three brothers said in sync, all agreeing with each other.

“The only way Mikey could beat (Y/N) in a fight is if she was blindfolded, had her hands tied to her feet, and possibly drunk on top of that.” Raph joked.

“The blindfold won’t effect me when I get my lotus vision down.” You added while finishing your food.

“Training might get me somewhere! Who wants to go out and be ninjas?” Mikey stood up and got back his weapons.

“Sounds good. I’m in.” Raph agreed, Donnie jumped in too.

“I’m up for some on site training.” You began to stand up.

Leo stopped you, “Whoa there, I think you’re good for tonight.”

“Aw why?” You complained.

“You were out all night last night and you went on a mission today. I think you’ve had your adventure for now.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, but he just gave a innocent smile in return. You swear you could just punch that cheeky grin off his adorable face.

“You guys go ahead, we’re gonna stay here and rest. Go destroy some Krang bots for us though.”

Leo’s brothers left the lair, leaving you both alone.

“Really? Since when am I not allowed to go out on patrol?”

“Since you’ve been doing it too much that you lose sleep and become exhausted. I can see it in you, (Y/N), I know you too well now.”

It was true. You have been losing more and more sleep recently. The willpower to stay awake and get things done had become stronger in you. Training is your escape. And with your ‘lotus vision’ not perfected yet you needed to train.

“That and April told me that you fell asleep in class again today.”

You’re gonna kill April.

As if on cue, you let out a yawn. Okay maybe you needed some rest. Suddenly you felt a wave of tiredness overtake you; your arms grew heavy and you moved a bit slower.

Leo scooched closer to you and rested his hands on your checks, inspecting your face. His large hands made you feel small, but Leo was so comforting. “I can see it in your eyes, you need to take care for yourself. That’s just as important as anything else right now.” He kissed you on the forehead and pulled you into a hug. You both melted into each other and cuddled.

Leo looked at your arm and saw something poking out from under the sleeve. “Hold on, take your jacket off.”

You stuttered, “You don’t want me to.”

“Just do it.”

You took off your black jacket, revealing your arms that were covered in bruises. Some were small and close to finishing healing, while others were fresh and purple.

“Where did you get these?”

“Fights.”

You answer was so brief. Leo didn’t know if he believed it or not. But he didn’t want to ask, something told him not to. He also noticed scars and imperfections on your arms. Soft skin overtaken by injuries and cuts. And he could only imagine the soreness of your muscles from making them work so hard.

He looked you in the eyes, “Do you want to stay the night?”

“Yeah.” You responded, eyes swelling with the start of light tears.

He held you tighter. He knew you needed it. After a long while of hugs, kisses and little words exchanged, he laid you down on a comfortable spot in the common room of the lair and covered you with a blanket. You drifted off to sleep; with Leo there protecting you, watching over you, letting you sleep in complete peace.


	33. The Ninja Strikes Back

The smell of food had woken you up. You found yourself in a pile of soft blankets and pillows, all warm and comforted. The last person you saw before you fell asleep was right beside you, sitting cross legged while watching the Saturday morning episodes of Space Heros.

Leo noticed you had woken up and smiled. “Good morning, cutie.”

“I smell food.” You couldn’t ignore it.

He chuckled, “Mikey’s making breakfast, it will be ready soon.”

You smiled, even though you had maybe one too many slices of pizza last night you could go for some breakfast. Whatever Mikey was making in the kitchen smelled really good. Funny thing about his cooking was that it was either really good, or very disgusting (his experimental homemade pizzas could get a bit extreme…).

Leo’s eyes were glued to the tv while he watched his favourite show. It looked like Captain Ryan was fighting off some purple aliens, and Leo was lost in the episode. His nerdy tendencies were very adorable.

You scooched closer to him, pulling the warm blankets with you and rested your head on his lap. You looked up at him and saw him smile. He stroked your hair and you melted into his touch.

Mikey came out of the kitchen holding two plates of food, he gave a toothy smile when he saw that you had woken up. “Morning (Y/N)! I made breakfast!”

He handed you and Leo plates of sunny side up eggs, butter and jam covered toast and crispy bacon. You thanked him greatly and started eating while checking your phone. Thank god it was a Saturday, you didn’t have much to worry about and you could be out as long as you wanted.

~Later that Day~

You ended up staying over at the turtle lair the whole day. You got a lot of training done, both with the turtles and a private session with Master Splinter.

Days spent in the turtle lair were some of the greatest. Being surrounded by people you loved and feeling welcomed made everything worth it. You were happy to call them family. They were.

April and Casey had come over and now all seven of you were gathered around the tv with popcorn and watching Star Wars. You forced (no pun intended) everyone to watch it and they were enjoying it a lot. Thankfully everyone was a Star Wars fan in the group. The force had awoken in the lair!

“How much do you want to bet that Kylo Ren was an emo when he was a teen.” Raph laughed out loud.

“Yep he’s definitely emo.” Casey agreed through a mouth full of popcorn.

“He’s kinda hot tho’.” You said half joking and half not, and April had to agree with you a bit.

“Here we go again, (Y/N) and April gushing over fictional characters and celebrities.” Raph rolled his eyes.

Donnie laughed, “How does that make you feel Leo?”

Leo slumped over and pouted, “I’m being replaced by an enraged, emo Sith who can’t decide if he loves the girl from the light side or not.”

You laughed and leaned into him, reassuring him that you only had eyes for him.

Mikey suddenly opened his mouth, “How cool would it be to be a Jedi!? I’d use the force all the time!”

“You sure you wouldn’t be a Sith Mikey?” You asked him, downing the buttery popcorn. “Something tells me that you’d be on the dark side if Darth Vader offered you a cookie.”

Mikey then looked around the room, “Okay let’s settle this.” He looked at each of the faces staring back at him. “Me, April, (Y/N), and Donnie would be Jedi and Leo, Raph and Casey would be Siths.”

“Why would I be a Sith?” Leo asked, a slight warning tone in his voice.

“Because you’re overly possessive of your spot as leader.” Casey said without apology.

Everyone had to laugh at that.

“Hey guys….”

No one answered April, hearing the laugh in her voice. You could feel one of her puns approaching. Yet she continued.

“Is BB hungry?”

Silence.

“No, BB-8.”

The room was full of groans. She went for another one.

“Why did Anakin Skywalker cross the road? To get to the Dark Side.”

You spoke up, “April. Stop.”

“What do Gungans put things in? Jar Jars.”

“We do not speak of him!” You snapped.

~Later That Night~

Carefully and stealthy, you crawled into your bedroom window and landed softly on your feet. Your room had been exactly as you left it, neat and the light left on. You placed your (WoC) on your night stand and quickly changed into pajamas.

Leo didn’t let you go out on patrol again. He said that you deserve a break and needed more rest. For some reason you were still tired even though you rested for most of the day. You took the opportunity and decided to relax. You laid down on your bed and we’re just about to close your eyes.

There was a knock on your door. With dread and fear you answered it.

“Where have you been? I know you’ve been out all day!”

You inhaled deeply and looked down…


	34. Relax

The sun was just starting to go down and the sky was starting to change colours. You had the best view, on the rooftop of your apartment building. There was homework to be done, but also a sunset to watch so you decided to do both at the same time. You needed an escape anyways, and you needed to get out of that stuffy apartment.

So you sat there, in some comfy clothes and notebook on your lap and pencil at work, resting in the light breeze and soft sunlight. Calm and beautiful.

While writing a few lines, a quick flash caught your eye on the rooftops. You smiled when you realized what it was and it started coming towards you.

“Come to see me, Captain Ryan?” You laughed as Leo landed beside you and sat with you.

He hung his legs over the edge and sat up straight. “Yep.”

“Of course you did.” You smiled.

He slung his arm around your shoulder and kissed your temple. “How’s your break? You are taking a break are you? I told you to so you better be.”

“I am.” You insisted. “I haven’t been sneaking out and I haven’t been in any fights recently.”

“Good.” He squeezed your shoulder.

But your muscles contracted and you winced. Leo noticed quickly and let go. Then he noticed something under your sweater, and pushed the fabric to the side to see the wrapping you had placed over it.

“Come here, turn around.” Leo motioned for you to face him and you did, unzipping your sweater leaving you in your sports bra (he didn’t mind he saw you in them all the time during training).

He gently placed his hand over your shoulder and lightly brushed his fingers over it. Then very carefully, he pressed down in one spot. You flinched again.

“The people I live with are not the most understanding.”

Leo pulled you in for a hug and held you tight. He was careful not to touch your arm to cause you any discomfort.

“The marks on your arms.” He said after a long silence. “They’re from them too?”

“Yeah…”

He stroked your hair as you nuzzled your face into his neck.

“(Y/N), you can tell me anything. Even if you don’t want to talk about it at the moment I will be here. I just want you to be safe.”

“I know.” You kissed his cheek as you clung to his shell for safety.

“Come on, let’s go for a walk. Take your mind of things.” With a extremely gentle hand he rubbed your shoulder lovingly.

“Okay, let me get my mask and (WoC).” You went back into your room to grab your things. Before leaving, you made sure your door was locked and the lights left on.

~~~~

Leo positioned your arms to be outstretched, then moved to relax your shoulders. You were blindfolded, but you could feel the light breeze blow past.

“Okay try again, just relax.”

You took a deep breath. Concentration filled your brain and you tried to enter your Lotus Vision. Leo watched your body and looked for any parts that tensed up. He reached out to relax your shoulders again since they moved slightly.

“Don’t think too hard.”

You took his words and just let yourself slip into the state of mind. There was a flicker, almost like an electric shock went through you. You tried to grab onto it, but it slipped and disappeared.

There was that headache again, and you stumbled and sat down.

“I don’t get it. I can’t do it.”

Leo sat down beside you. “You just can’t do it yet.”

“But I don’t understand,” You we’re growing frustrated. “Some days I have it and others I don’t. I can’t control it. I don’t even know if I’m meant to have it!”

All the frustration and anger about it was building up, and the dam broke. You wanted to throw your (WoC) and your mask across the rooftops. Instead you tried to hold it in, not wanting to break too much. You just sat there, head in your hands from being dizzy and your vision went blurry.

“Maybe I’m not even a Lotus…”

“Yes you are.” Leo grabbed your sweater and draped it over your shoulders. “Don’t say that.”

You just groaned and rested you head on his shoulder.

“Sensei always told us stories when we were little.” Leo started, and you tried to focus on his words. “One of my favourites was always about The Lotus Clan. Their fighting style was unlike any other, the quickest and the swiftest ninjas to ever exist.”

There was a pause, almost like Leo was letting the words soak into your head.

“Believe me, you are a Lotus.”

There was a pause while you tried to recover from the dizziness. Leo gave you a hug and the two of you just sat in that moment for a while. He always brought light to your doubts and weaknesses. Whenever you feel sad he always ends up making you smile.

“You hungry?”

You looked up at him. “Huh?”

“Wait here.” And with that he got up and jumped off the side of a building.

What the hell is he doing?

You glanced down onto the street, there was a small pizza place that screamed New York city. You watched Leonardo sneak over and snatch a pizza box from a delivery guy’s stack of boxes. He quickly came back up to the rooftops and flashed you a grin.

There he goes again making you smile.

“Did you just steal a pizza for me?”

“Yes, and?”

“That’s not like Leonardo.”

“Well we’ve saved the city so many times, I think we deserve it.”

Often you question yourself whether you eat too much pizza or not. But then again, it is too good to resist. So you didn’t hesitate to grab a slice.

You and Leo had been out for a while so the stars have come out now. This type of date was the most common, sharing quiet moments above the city. He had thrown his arm over your shoulders, careful with your injured one.

“This is nice, we haven’t had a calm day to ourselves in a while.” Leo chuckled.

“You’re too busy saving the city.” You joked, leaning into him in a cuddle.

“And you’re too busy stressing out about everything.” He clapped back.

“I do not!”

“Yes you do!” Leo started to poke at your sides, annoying you.

“I’m not stressed.”

“It’s okay.” He engulfed you in a hug from behind and rested his head on your bandaged shoulder. “Just relax, my Lotus.”

Leo had never called you that before, but you liked it. The way he said it too; content and tranquil, yet loving and sweet.

You were suddenly caught off guard when Leo did something that he had never done before; leave a soft trail of butterfly kisses on your neck. Whenever he would cuddle you and kiss you your limbs would turn to jelly, but right now you felt like you had turned to liquid. A small yelp escaped your lips and you felt him smirk against your skin.

You and Leo hadn’t done anything ‘frisky’. Yet at least. But what he was doing at the moment was giving you certain types of images. And you felt a sudden rush.

“Leo…” You croaked out in a husky voice. He chuckled deeply in response, pulling you flush against his shell.

“Yes, darling?” He whispered in your ear, making you melt.

You were about to say something, but you froze. You heard something. Leo did too, and you both looked at each other suddenly overcome by confusion.

The couple quietly yet quickly drew their weapons. Something was definitely wrong. You felt a presence watching you. So you both stood up back to back, waiting for what was going to happen.

The culprit came out of hiding.

You stared into the sharp eyes of Karai, and your heart dropped.

“Hey (Y/N), we haven’t crossed paths in a while.”


	35. Hunted

The air was cold, chilling. You could feel the blood in your veins turn cold as ice when the dark eyes of Karai stared you down. It was almost like the rush from your headache was back, but worse, and it complemented the feeling of fear in the pit of your stomach.

"Oh I'm sorry." She mocked, and you already hated the sound of her voice after not hearing it for so long. "Was I interrupting something?"

Leo instantly snapped into a protective mode, and pushed you behind him. You noticed that something was in his eyes, a glimmer of something you could only call darkness.

"If you touch her I'll kill you."

It was Leo's scary side coming out. Like during the time you jumped onto the rooftop of a moving truck from a building and came so close to touching mutagen. It only ever came out when he was being protective. You have only seen it a few times, but when you have seen it it was terrifying.

"Whoa there." Karai laughed, "you've gotten more serious, huh? You wouldn't kill, Leonardo."

"I won't hesitate." Leo's voice was deep and sharp, and you didn't know if you should feel comforted or afraid of it. Or turned on actually. Something about that very sentence sent a certain type of chill down your spine, you did not know what to call it.

Karai was slowly walking closer towards you and Leo as she spoke, and the grip Leo had on his blades was tightening. 

"I have a job to do." She was fiddling with a knife, the metal catching the light and flashing on your face. Sharp, ready to draw blood if need be. "My father is done waiting."

"(Y/N), you need to get out of here." Leo muttered while looking back at you.

"I'm not leaving you." You twisted your (WoC) in your hands, ready to strike if she were to step out of line. "There's two of us, we can take her."

"Bold of you to assume I've come alone." She chuckled, a light sound that made the hair on the back of your neck want to stand on end. "We have the area surrounded by my father's soldiers. Try to run and they'll catch you."

"Bold of you to assume they're faster than a Lotus." You snapped right back at her, and you could see the corner of Leo's mouth holding back a smile.

Around the area quick footsteps could be heard, and slowly Foot soldiers began to come out of their hiding places. 

"Shredder wants you alive." She threatened one step closer, and you backed up a step yourself. Leonardo stood his ground not wanting any fear to show. He did not have any, just that blank fury and traces of worry in his eyes.

You risked a glance behind your shoulder. Foot soldiers peered over the rooftops as the city below continued its normal ways. You were close to the edge, and the drop weirdly made you woozy.

"You have two options." Karai said, "Surrender and you can come with us with no problems, or fight back and obviously lose."

The mutant cursed under his breath, looking at his surroundings in hope of thinking of a plan of escape. His mind was racing, but he tried not to panic. You looked at him and you could tell he was more worried than you were. 

"We're not going to lose against you." You growled.

“Oh yeah?” She taunted. “We’ll see about that, (Y/N).”

The way your name rolled off her tongue. With hatred and disgust.

You hated the way she said it.

"(Y/N) we can't stay here," Leo breathed as he shuffled closer to you, "there is too many."

"We can take them, babe." Your eyes darted around to try and count how many there were. You lost count at around twelve.

"We can't, we need to run." He sneered through gritted teeth. 

You both were lost in your decision making exchange, that you missed a little click sound.

Karai was now holding a small object in her hand, a little red light blinking on its metal surface.

"I'm done waiting."

There was a loud crack, and the smoke bomb detonated.

Thick black smoke swirled into the air, greatly obstructing your vision. It smelled terrible. It stung your eyes. You felt like you were being drugged by the strong chemicals. The cloud spread in a huge burst, you were unable to see your surroundings anymore.

But no matter what, you clung onto Leonardo.

Your arm refused to let go of him. His did the same, around your waist and permanently stuck there. Gripping (one of) your weapon(s) in your free hand, you kept alert for your enemy’s next move, the smoke threatening to fill your lungs.

You could not run now, you both realized that at the same time. So you planted your feet into a fighting stance, ready for what was coming.

There were flashes of silver armor and black blurs zooming past, you tried to keep up with blocking any attacks. A sword struck, you blocked while your eyes filled with tears from the burning. 

"You will fight me first!" The zipping form of Karai called out, "But run and my soldiers will get you."

A blow hit you in the face and you stumbled back. Leo took the chance and grabbed her arm that punched you and sent her to the ground. He held her down, stomping down on her stomach and slamming her into the cement. 

You sensed something behind you, and jumped in the air to avoid a strike by two soldiers. Leo and Karai had gone into combat while you took on the soldiers. You realized one of them was a robot, and made a swift move to remove its head from its body. That never got old.

Leo lost focus for a split second, giving him a disadvantage. Karai took the opportunity and knocked him to the ground with a series of moves. She was now hovering over him, a little too close for your liking. 

You hated it.

"Get off of him!" Your leg flew into her and sent her back, then you got in between the two.

"The jealous type huh?" Karai smirked, regaining her balance.

You growled, and charged at her with Leo right behind.

The smoke started to clear up, but soon there were more explosive sounds and more bombs were detonated. It was even harder to see now, and your eyes continued to burn.

As you both fought, Leo was starting to lose energy. You were running on pure adrenaline. However, out of the corner of your eye you saw Leo stumble. Then you began to worry once he took in a heaving breath that did not sound normal at all.

You continued to fight off Karai, sending a worried glance a Leo. He was now breathing heavily and swaying as if he was dizzy. A million thoughts ran through your head at once.

Karai gained the upper hand, and fully grabbed you in a lock, blade to your throat. Leo looked over and went to react, but his head was spinning and eyes would no longer focus.

"The smoke was filled with a little surprise," She held her dagger to your neck, the tip threatening to slice right through your skin. "Completely harmless to humans..."

Leo collapsed, and was still breathing heavily and began twitching.

"But sedative to certain animals." Karai added.

The turtle started coughing, and you struggled to get to him. But she held you back. 

"Especially reptiles."

Leo fell completely to the ground, and was soon unconscious. 

That sent you over the edge. 

At this moment you realized, this was a fight for your life.

With all the strength and anger you had, you jammed you elbow towards her face, hearing a satisfying crack when it connected with her nose. You fought out of her grip, and just went loose on her. Using all your Louts speed, you attacked without mercy. Hit after hit, blow after blow. 

You did not care how many bruises and cuts you left on her. Or gashes or broken bones. 

Exhaustion was nowhere in sight for you, all you did was keep going, beating Karai.

You were always taught, both in your training and in life, to never intentionally harm someone. You didn’t care about that anymore.

After slamming Karai’s slowly responsive body onto the ground, you rested the bottom of your boot onto her chest. The armor gone from you ripping it off earlier. You looked down at her, the glare of death a mask upon your face. You snuck a glance at your loved one,

This was for him.

”You’re very good” She coughed, and a drop of blood spilled out from the side of her mouth.

You felt a pinch on your shoulder. A needle attached to a dart injected a substance into you.

”But no good enough.” Karai added, a darkness still lingering in her eyes.

No.

You ripped out the needle and threw it in a fit of rage, and soon the tranquilizer kicked in.

Blurry vision, muscles growing weak, head spinning. You looked to the green body just a few feet away, and his name left your lips as you collapsed into the abyss of black and darkness.

"I told you that you would lose."


	36. Scared

The first thing you felt was the cold. It was a dull and unsettling chill that made your skin prickle with goosebumps. It was both in the air and on the hard ground that you found yourself on. You struggled to open your eyes. When you did, it was dark. Except for the little light coming from a single source hanging on a wall out of reach. But then you realized there was something between you and the source. Bars. Bars creating a pattern from one end of the room to another.

You jolted awake, scrambling to recognize where you were. A fuzzy feeling formed in your head from the sudden jerk of your body. 'Where am I?' Then you were hit with the memories from the moments before you passed out. Bested by Karai, so that meant you must be in The Shredder's lair. The cold told you that you were probably underground, the basement. It made a fear run through you. You did not know how long you were out for. You did not see a window, so you had no idea if it was night or day. Your phone was gone and so was/were your (WoC) which gave you a little separation anxiety.

Looking down at your hands, you winced. Black and blue bruises covered your knuckles. It looked as bad as it felt. You knew what they were from, your aggressive and hostile outburst towards Karai. You were always taught to never, ever, use your training for the purpose of hurting someone. But you could not hold it in. You were so overcome with anger and disgust and determination and aggression. Because-

Leo.

You were hit with a rush of a different kind of fear. Worry.

Then you frantically looked around. You saw a figure laying on the other side of the cell. Leo was still knocked out, you remembered it was from the gas. You crawled over to him, body sore and aching, and rested a hand on his cheek. His skin was cold, he is coldblooded but he often had a little warmth to him. That warmth was now gone. You panicked a little before noticing the slight movement in his shell and the light breath coming from his parted lips. Letting out a sigh of relief, you shifted closer to him and tried to shake him awake.

"Leo?"

He was out cold.

You had no idea when he was going to wake up.

A million things ran through your mind at once. You've been on Shredder's radar for so long, now you're in his grasp. What is he gonna do to you? What is he gonna do to Leo? What was in that gas? What was in that needle you were stuck with? Is there a way out? Did Donnie get your distress signal? What does Shredder even want from you? Leo shouldn't be here, you dragged him into this and now he's not waking up? How hurt is he? It's you're fault he's hurt.

It was all too much.

Not knowing what to do, you rested your head on his shell and let more thoughts race through your mind. That substance that Karai put into the air, you had no idea what it was or how long it could keep him asleep. All you wanted in that moment was to hear his voice. To hear him tell you that everything is going to be okay. To say that he was there for you.

Because you were scared of what the near future might hold.

You thought about Donnie, Raph, and Mikey. You wondered if they knew you and Leo were in trouble and if they had gotten your message. You had no way to tell. All you could do was wait. Wait for Leo to wake up and wait for a sign from his brothers.

Time went on, feeling like it stretched out into forever. Moments became minutes, and it felt like hours. You were in the same position, you did not move or raise your head from Leo's chest. You listened to the soft heartbeat pulsing through his shell. Soon the pattern of the thumping made you drift off into sleep again, your body so exhausted and weak you could not help it.

Suddenly there was a shift underneath you. Leo was starting to wake up, being in a confused and dazed state. The change woke you instantly. You looked to his face, eyes wide with anticipation. His own started to open and he sucked in a stronger breath. 

"Leo?" You whispered, afraid that raising your voice any more would hurt him.

The turtle struggled to collect himself.

"(Y/N)..." He slurred, and his head rolled back onto the floor.

You kneeled beside him, ignoring the pounding in your own head. "Leo, come on. You have to get up."

His eyes finally focused, and it was like he finally noticed your presence. He reached up and grabbed your hand with his. A wave of pain hit him, you could see it in his face. "(Y/N). It hurts."

"I know, babe. But you have to sit up."

As gently as you could, you helped him sit up. He gathered all the strength he could find and sat up. A groan escaped him, hissing at the deeper pain that hit when he was fully up. You helped him lean against the wall. It was cold, but you sat with him.

"What happened?" His voice sounded rough and beaten. 

"Shredder." You said simply. It was like the memories came rushing back, for an anger flashed in his eyes. 

You took a long look at him, and your heart ached. He was struggling to breathe, it would catch and make him cough slightly. Deep purple spots scattered his green skin in places where he was hit, cuts here and there as well. His eyes were bloodshot and pupils dilated in desperation. There were a few new scratches on his shell. 

You leaned over and kissed his forehead. In a soft voice you said, "You're okay."

He looked up at you, pupils dilating further until only a sliver of blue was visible, "Are you? Are you okay?" By the way he sounded, talking must be painful.

"Yeah, I am now." 

Leo looked you over too and his gaze lingered on the nasty beating your hands had taken. The evidence of a fight, the recoil of your anger. He reached out and took them in his own hands. Yours were tiny compared to his. His were shaking. Yours flinched at any amount of pressure, he was careful to not hurt you.

He swallowed, "We're trapped, aren't we?"

"Yeah..."

Staring into each other's eyes, there was a mirrored expression. Fear. 

You slumped beside him, back against the cold wall, and moved so there was no space in between. His arms wrapped around you regardless of his aching muscles. You were shivering a little, he was still struggling to breathe. His blue mask was crooked, you fixed it for him. 

"I'm sorry."

You titled your head, "What?"

He heaved a breath in, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." His breath caught again. "I should have-"

"Shh." You took his face in your hands, caressing his cheek. There was a cut there so you were careful. "Don't you dare apologize. This is not you're fault."

"But I-"

You put a finger to his lips to silence him, "No more talking. You need to rest. Just breathe. Breathe for me."

And he did. Leo took a deep breath. 

You tried to think of something. Something to get you both out of here. There was nothing you could do.

You just sat there. Leo trying to recover while you struggled to ground yourself into reality. You lost. And all you had left to cling onto was each other. All you could do was wait, hope and pray, that his brothers would come or Shredder gave you mercy.

~~~

The three brothers were running as soon as they realized the location of your distress call. A scramble for gear and weapons, frantic cries to Splinter, and maybe a panic attack or two later, they found themselves jumping across the rooftops towards Shredder’s lair. Donnie’s computer was out of commission for a little while he was working to install a new add on he developed. Your alert came in a few hours after it was sent out. The purple turtle thanked himself for giving you that bracelet in the first place, but also cursed himself like crazy for choosing to update his computer in that moment.

With Donnie feeling guilty and anxious, Raph enraged and wanting to murder Shredder, and Mikey being on the edge of losing it, the three of them were complete messes. But they managed to pull themselves together to go save Leo and (Y/N). 

“What if we’re too late?” Donnie asked after he landed on his jump from one building to another, clutching his bow staff at the ready.

“Don’t say that.” Raph’s voice was hard. He was just as worried, but he showed his worry in his cold tone opposed to Donnie’s cracked voice.

They were coming close to Shredder’s lair, the abandoned clock tower in a calmer part of the city. At this time in the night, the area was completely dead. The perfect cover, quiet and no one around. But it was also a little unsettling. Mix it with the fact that two people they love were in the hands of the enemy, definitely unsettling.

Because they were overcome by their racing emotions, they temporarily forgot about what being a ninja should be: quiet, subtle and sneaky. They wanted to get to you both as fast as they could. Their feet were pounding. Breaths heaving. Frantic bickering occasionally. Their ninja skills were not showing right now. When they could see their destination in the distance, they missed a flash of black as they continued on their way.

Jumping out of the shadows, Foot soldiers came out of hiding. With weapons bared and ready to stall, Shredder’s soldiers blocked their path. The three came to a stop.

“You gotta be kidding me...” Donnie muttered, knowing he should have thought about guards to stop them.

Did they have a plan in the first place? No.

Mikey’s voice lowered a little as he readied his nunchucks, “Give is our brother and our future sister in law!”

Raph and Donnie shot him a little look over their shoulders, but they knew it was low key true. They armed themselves as well. Donnie quickly assessed the area. Counted all the soldiers he could currently see, and knew there were more hiding somewhere despite the already large numbers. He distinguished the humans from the robots, more metal than flesh. He barked out instructions to his brothers. They nodded and took their stances.

Donnie, Raph, and Mikey were scared. A lot was on the line. Their brother, his girlfriend (and their best friend), and themselves. This night would end in one of two ways, success or failure. The thought of failure scared them more than their own personal safety. They would do whatever it took to save Leo and (Y/N).

~~~

Hours felt like days. All sense of time was gone. There were no windows in the cell. There were no sounds from the outside. Everything was quiet. It was terrifying. You were still on the cell floor, back against the wall, now knees pulled up to your chest. You tried to shut out the thoughts of danger and fear and agony. 

The thoughts were starting to get to you. They were pulling you down and drowning you. You didn't feel like a ninja, didn't feel like a lotus, didn't feel like a warrior. You were a little girl. Trapped in a basement of someone who wanted to hurt you.

You were trying to shut out what Leo was doing. Because it was making it worse.

Leo had managed to collect his breathing again and some strength was regained. The effects of the gas finally wore off. His muscles were still sore and he felt the leftover pain of the fight. But that did not stop him. Rage overpowered the physical pain, and he was now rattling the door of the cell.

He was gritting his teeth, anger and regret and anxiety, as he assessed every little thing in this basement cell. The cell door was padlocked, twice. Beyond was a wooden door that probably lead up to the building. He imagined Shredder up in his clock tower. Sitting there. With his mutants and soldiers. It made Leo burn with more fury. Shredder wanted you for something. Leo was not going to let that happen. 

He needed to find a way out, he was frantic about it. The beginnings of panic bubbled inside of him.

Every rattle of metal on metal made your stomach turn. It made you think of the angry side of Leo, because you were seeing it come out of him right now. You did not want to see that.

You let out a sob. And the rattling stopped.

"(Y/N)?" 

His voice was soft. But the sudden sound still made you flinch.

Leo saw the flinch. All anger left him, and he felt a little guilty. He was scaring you, adding to the stress of the current situation. Taking a moment to reflect, he took another deep breath. What was he doing?He needed to bring the stress down, not feed the roaring fire.

He wanted to be a better protector, he knew how to do it.

Walking over to you, slowly and carefully as to not make you jump, he sat down beside you. "Hey, it's okay." He heard you sniffle, you were now crying. A pain hit in his chest. He held out his arms to you, "Come here, it's okay." You fell into his arms. Leo held your small frame against him, making sure to told you tight, stroke your hair. You let out the tears, clinging to his shell. He let you. Gave you the time to do so. Finally, you looked up at him with dripping eyes and soaked eyelashes.

"I'm scared." You choked.

"I know. I am too."

For the first time, he noticed that your mask was gone. Karai must have taken it. He untied his own, and after drying your tears, he put it across your face. As he tied the knot behind your head, he looked into your eyes with a smile. You smiled back, and his heart was filled with joy.

"We'll get through this together. You're okay."

You let out a laugh from a burst of happiness, of hope.

"I'm here for you, my lotus blossom."

You laughed again, and gently grabbed his face to kiss him. For a minute you let yourself forget all that worry. Leo kept you grounded, and you loved him for that.

Yes, you were scared, but you had Leo by your side. 

Out of the quiet, there was the sound of a doorknob turning and the door to the basement opened.


	37. Vision

Out of fear, you reached for Leo's hand. He clasped yours tightly. Both for your comfort and his own, you realized. Leo went stiff. You went stiff. Time seemed to slow.

The door creaked open. A face that you never wanted to see again greeted you. But her face was beaten. Bruises and cuts and dried blood. Eye bags and soreness and pale skin. Arm in a sling and limping slightly.

Karai spoke, "You're finally both awake." Her voice was as rough as sandpaper.

You really did wreak her out of your anger.

"How long has it been?" Leo asked, voice cold and defensive. 

"A few hours." Karai looked like she was ready to pass out. In either sleep or death you had no clue.

"What do you want with us?" You barked.

"My father wants to see you."

"Heard he wants me dead." You added.

Your anger was starting to surge back. It was almost like Leo could see it flush your cheeks. He saw the anger rising in you. He squeezed your hand tighter to hopefully bring you back to Earth. You let out a hot breath.

"He does." Karai replied. So calm for someone who got the life almost ripped out of them.

"I'm not letting him have her." Leo's dark tone sent a shiver down your arms.

"You want more gas, Leonardo? Another needle in you, (Y/N)?"

You and Leo exchanged a look.

"We're not leaving without a fight." You said.

Karai had a look in her eyes. Past the bruising around it you could see something. A smirk tugged up at the side of her lip.

"Alright. You either come willingly or you will be forced."

The two of you looked at each other again.

Karai stared to leave the room. But before you could let out a sigh of relief, she dropped something on the floor before she closed the heavy door. The metal object beeped. Smoke hissed out and began to quickly fill the room.

"Oh f-"

Leonardo grabbed your face with his large hands, "(Y/N), look at me."

Your breath quickened in panic and your heart hammered, but you looked at him. Then only him and his gorgeous eyes were your only concern in the world. You drowned in blue.

"Whatever happens tonight," He started, "I love you."

Now your heart beat and breathing sped up for a different reason. You did not know what else to do other than kiss him.

Smoke continued to fill the air and you continued to kiss Leo. During an intake of breath he said "I love you more than anything." The smoke traveled to your cell, making everything a haze. It was nothing compared to the haze you felt in your head from how much you loved this idiot. But the smoke engulfed you both, the coughing started. It was affecting you too. Your lungs filled with the stuff, but you held onto your boyfriend tightly. Your eyes began to burn.

You collapsed into his arms, both of your eyes shut, and went to sleep after you muttered, "I love you too, Leonardo."

~~~

You woke up in the dark. Your head was heavy and ears were ringing. A feeling of sickness began to ache at the pit of your stomach. You told yourself not to panic, not yet at least. As best as you could, slowly so you would not hurt your growing headache, you took in your surroundings. No longer in a cold room, now sitting up. In a chair. Wrists and ankles tied to the arms and legs. Two layers of fabric over your head, a bag and your mask backwards you realized.

Oh no.

Where's Leo?

Panic settled in. Anger did too.

Once the ringing began to fade, you heard a voice.

"When these two wake up, we're going to take our time with them."

Now you were really scared. Probably the most terrified you had ever been in your life. And that is saying something.

Adrenaline rushed through you.

All of the sudden you got a vision, an image flashed in your mind. A flower?

Behind the booming voice, which is obviously Shredder's, something strange was happening. It's not the only thing you can hear in this room. You can hear everything. There is an echo to every sound, telling you the room is large. From small shuffles and breathing you count the people. Five besides yourself: Leo, Karai, and Shredder you know first. You immediately recognize their breathing patterns. An intake of breath that resembles a hiss, Fishface. A grunt resembling a growl, Razar. There is also the lap of water, a possible system of it coming from the far left and far right on both sides. 

A breathing pattern that is familiar, that stands out among all others. Leo's breathing. You are aware of where he is, about a foot or two to your right. It was nice and steady, he was still a sleep.

You did not understand this whole feeling, but it all buzzes through your head. Taking over your senses. No, it was like a whole new sense all together.

Then realization hit you.

Lotus Vision.

You could see everything, even lost in this dark bag and hidden behind your mask.

The map that formed in your mind was detailed and precise. You knew what was going on, who was positioned where, and you could almost sense every move anyone would make. Any tiny little change, you saw it. 

All while blind.

It was like a hyper sense of awareness, and the images in your mind almost resembled an inferred camera or like a pair of those fancy tech glasses that analyzed everything in the movies.

You had an advantage, and maybe you could work your way out of here.

Studying the area, you thought of a plan. Well, that was difficult. You and Leo were both bound, with four people who would not let you escape. 

You heard the clang of metal tossed onto the floor. Nearby. Very close to your chair. A very familiar clang of metal. 

It was Leo's katana blades.

You have heard that clang thousands of times. Through training sessions and duels and attacks and battles. You knew what it was. The sound of Leo unsheathing his katana blades was practically burned into your memory. 

So Leo's blades were close. That must mean your (WoC) is around too. You kept a note of where his blades were located.

Before you could continue to frantically think of a way to save you and Leo, Shredder began to speak again. 

"Take her out of the chair and put her on the floor. In front of the turtle. Let him watch."

Your heart pounded in your chest. You pretend you were still unconscious. The ropes fell away from your limbs, the bag was removed from your head. You kept your body limp as you felt a large paw grab you and throw you onto the ground. The smack onto the cold floor was tolerable. 

You laid there trying to hold in your trembling.

"Wake Splinter's son." Shredder commanded, "I've waited long enough."

The swish of fabric, the bag being taken off his head. He took a blow, and a gasp of breath left his lungs.

A few seconds pause, Leo taking in the situation, before he screamed "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" You could imagine his eyes going white with the rage.

"Nothing yet, she's merely unconscious." Shredder's voice gave you so much terror.

"I WILL NOT LET YOU KILL HER!"

Leonardo was growling. Struggling and straining against his ropes. Chair skidding on the floor. Anger and fury seething through his blood and heating it up. A feral animal fighting. 

It was in that moment you came to the conclusion, that Leo would kill everyone in this room to save you. 

But the fact that he was physically being held back was getting to his head.

"YOU LAY A FINGER ON HER AND I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!" Leo roared. Like a lion.

You wanted to run to him. Jump up to him and tell him that you would be okay. That you both would be okay. You wanted to sob and scream and cry for him. Tell him that everything is okay. Calm him, reassure him, comfort him. Tell him you loved him, a thousand times.

But you couldn't. Your best chance at survival was to stay still. Perfectly still.

And wait for the right moment. 

But as the seconds ticked away. Every second longer that you heard Leo screaming and writhing while tied to that chair made your heart ache in all the painful ways.

But you had an idea. One so crazy that it might work. 

But you had to wait a little.

There was the sound of metal scraping on concrete.

Perfect.

A wave of profanities flew out of Leo's mouth. No one shut him up.

The scraping was getting closer. Large footsteps. Shredder was dragging Leo's katanas towards you. To attack you. 

You were ready. You got another surge of adrenaline, energy to fight this time.

As soon as he was close enough, Leo begging for him to stop, you snapped your leg up in a kick.

You nailed Shredder's hand, making him drop the blade. As fast as you could, you grabbed it from out of the air in a back grip, and slashed it on his hand. He cried out in pain and you scrambled to your feet. He was hunched over and clenching his hand. You rounded another kick, one right on his head. Once your foot connected with metal, the helmet went flying and landed on the ground with a clang.

You clasped the single katana blade in your hands, standing your ground.

You did not bother ripping the backwards mask off.

A rush towards you, from both the left and the right. Fishface and Razar lunged for you, to restrain you. You leaped out of the way, flew over their heads, and landed near Leo and his chair. With a slash you cut his ropes, grabbed his other blade from off the floor, and ran back to the mutants with a battle cry. You saw every one of their movements, and you fought back.

What you could not see was the expression on Leo's face. The look was priceless. Absolute shock. He just watched you disarm and injure Shredder, fight off Razar and Fishface, free him from the chair, grab his second katana, and continue to fight the mutants, all while blind folded. And you were still blindfolded and doing just as well as if you could see.

Leo looked around, he saw your (WoC) behind his chair. He grabbed it/them, and ran in to give you a hand. Karai went for him even with her injuries. Leo charged up the most powerful kick he could, and let it hit her right in the chest. She flew backwards and stayed down. 

"(Y/N)!"

Leo ran to your aid. Even though you looked like you were doing alright on your own, you both were getting out of this together.

He pulled you out of the way of a punch from Razar, and pulled your blindfold off.

The room was not too lit, but even the change in brightness made you squint. But you looked up into Leo's ocean blue eyes. You forgot about all the rage he was yelling about earlier, the begging and the distress. All you saw was love. 

You reached up to kiss him. 

It was cut short. You had to jump back to fighting Razar and Fishface. With you wielding his katanas and Leo with your (WoC), you both fought for your lives. No longer tired, but pumping with determination. 

All the other times you fought with Leo was nothing compared to this. It may have been the adrenaline drugging your brain, but it felt different. Neither of you held back. You both were brutal. You were not afraid to break bone or cut flesh. You both took a couple beatings yourself, but the retaliation was even stronger.

You switched weapons by tossing them to each other, and with your specialty skill back in your hands, you fought forth. Stronger than ever. Together.

After some time, you both had beaten Fishface and Razar. Literally beaten. Fishface's mechanical legs were across the room in pieces, there was blood and broken bones. They both had been knocked out cold.

You and Leo huffed and panted for air, sweat covering your skin.

But there was one more person you had to go through.

And Shredder jumped out of nowhere. Fully armored and blades outstretched. 

You could see, no...feel, the anger coming of Leo again. Him wanting to get out of here alive and to keep you alive. This imprinted onto you too. You and your partner fought with your fury. So hard and so skilled that it was almost too easy.

You looked over and saw Leo's eyes go white.

Shredder put up a good fight. It was evenly matched, almost. You and Leo's combined power could hold him off. But something told you that it could not go on for long. You and Leo's size was a disadvantage, Shredder was significantly taller than the two of you. But your combined teamwork, knowing what the other was doing and working together in combo moves, you held up. Together.

Then Leo got cocky. He slipped up a movement in his wrist, and Shredder saw the opportunity. You watched it like it was happening in slow motion. Shredder got one of his blades to slice into Leo's leg. The turtle cried out and stumbled backwards. Shredder went in for another hit. Before he could land it, you jumped between them and protected Leo. You took the hit, his blade gashing into your arm. 

You both were so close, now so far. One little slip up. You were sure you were both dead.

The shattering of glass interrupted, along with a scream of "BOOYAKASHA!"

Glass shards rained from the sky as Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo came in from the skylight. Leo pulled you out of the way before the three jumped onto Shredder. The boys were screaming as they attacked. And Shredder looked shocked to be suddenly attacked by three turtles falling from the sky.

You and Leo, both dripping in blood and seething in pain, looked at each other.

"Lotus vision, Leo! I did it!" You smiled up at him.

"You did. I'm proud of you."

The adrenaline was dying down now and you were growing tired. Leo was too. The two of you were about ready to collapse, and with the deep cuts you had received, you were in no condition to fight anymore.

"Uh lovers?" Raph yelled over his shoulder. They were still fighting Shredder, to the best of their ability. "You're both hurt so we gotta go!" They were slowly being overpowered, Shredder was that good. Could probably take all five of you on right now. 

Raph kicked him in the helmet, then Donnie repeated the action while Mikey kicked the back of his knees. Raph pulled a pair of daggers out of his belt and slashed the exposed skin on Shredder's biceps. One more good punch to the head sent him stumbling backwards, one from Mikey who used all his strength and body weight. A good enough time frame to allow you all to escape. The three ran to your aid.

Donnie took your hand and Raph helped Leo stand, while Mikey threw down two smoke bombs. The entire room filled with purple smoke. The five of you ran out a stain glass window, more glass shattering everywhere, and disappeared into the night.

~~~

Back at the lair, you had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Right as you collapsed onto the beanbag Donnie guided you too, you were out cold. You were sleeping while Donnie tended to your arm and Leo's leg. 

But somehow Leo stayed awake. His eyes never left you, insisting he sit right beside you too. Maybe it was from the range of emotions that he went through tonight. The fear of not wanting Shredder to gut you right in front of him. The anger of him not being able to do anything. The energy rush from fighting with you. The threat of defeat. But the thrill of the eventual win. The affection from him telling you that he loved you for the first time.

He was so glad you were safe, even if it took a nasty slash in the leg for that to happen.

Leo hissed as Donnie was stitching up his leg. His brother muttered a sorry. Leo insisted on you getting patched up first, it was now his turn. Mikey was sitting beside your beanbag, his head resting on your leg, he was worried about you too. Raph came back to switch out the cold cloths for your forehead, Leo got one too. 

"She's going to be fine." Donnie said softly, reading the two of his brothers worries. "She's just so exhausted."

"I almost lost her." Leo said almost as a breath, a whisper.

"We almost lost both of you." Raph corrected, "Don't scare us like that."

A beat.

"She did it, guys." Leo added, voice tired yet enthusiastic, "She got her vision."

"Wait, Lotus Vision?" Donnie asked with a smile.

"She was blind yet she fought like she could see everything."

"So the stories Master Splinter told us growing up were real." Mikey said. "Sweet."

"You should have seen her." Leo looked down at your sleeping form, and brushed your cheek with a single finger. "I'm proud of her. She fought so well. Right to the end."

"You did too, I'm sure." Raph clapped his brother on the shoulder.

His brothers slowly retired for the night to their rooms, leaving Leo and you in the living area.

He did not want to walk all the way to his room and he did not want to leave you. So he gathered the nearby throw blankets and pillows for a makeshift bed for the two of you. He was careful of his leg. 

Leo gently picked you up, one hand under the knees and the other bracing your back, and slowly put you down on the blankets. He was careful not to disturb the stitching in his leg, but he felt the pain of himself trying to brace his body and yours on his own. But once he had you laying down, he relaxed beside you. He shuffled into a comfortable position, and covered the two of you in a blanket.

He pulled your body into his, wrapping his strong arms around you. He buried his face in your hair, stroking it and taking in your smell. He was so incredibly overwhelmed with the fact that you were alive. That you both were alive. He fought for this, to hold you again. He was so thankful to be here with you. He was so tired of being angry and scared, now he was just relieved and content.

Tears dripped from the corners of his eyes.

"I love you, (Y/N)."

Leo fell asleep tangled up with you.

Part 1/2 of the finale?


End file.
